THE ELECTRIC ARC FURNACE

Year Published: 1955

Description:

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This United States Steel promo film "The Electric Arc Furnace" (1955) provides a step-by-step overview of the steel-making process using an electric arc furnace, highlighting the key stages from charging the furnace to tapping the final product. It is one of a series of films made by USS, "The Making, Shaping and Treating of Steel."

0:00 Main titles. The film introduces the electric arc furnace as the tool used to produce stainless steel and other special steels.
0:42 The furnace's main "diet" is scrap metal , with electric power as its heat source.
1:10 A large crane opens the furnace roof, allowing scrap to be charged from the top. The roof then swings back into place.
1:56 The operator lowers large graphite electrodes into the furnace. The film notes that the electricity used in a single furnace is enough to light a "fairsized city." The tremendous heat from the electric arc quickly melts the scrap.
2:37 The "melter," acting as the master chef, controls the recipe for the steel being made.
2:51 With the power off, limestone and iron ore are added to the molten scrap. The iron ore reacts with unwanted elements like carbon, which bubbles away as carbon monoxide gas.
3:28 The limestone forms a molten slag that captures impurities removed from the metal. After the first slag is removed, the melter prepares for the next phase.
3:52 A second slag , known as the reducing slag , is added. This slag removes dissolved oxides, lowers the oxygen content, and protects valuable alloys from oxidation.
4:07 A paddle is used to circulate the slag and ensure it is thoroughly mixed.
4:25 The electrodes are lowered again to heat the mixture and allow the chemical reaction to take place.
4:50 Slag samples are taken for laboratory testing to ensure the steel meets specifications.
5:05 The final alloys —such as chromium, nickel, or tungsten—are added to the bath to create the specific type of steel required. The temperature is then checked with a pyrometer.
5:25 Once the conditions are right, the power is shut off, and the electrodes are raised.
5:48 The furnace, mounted on a rack and pinion, is tilted by the melter's lever to pour the molten steel into a waiting ladle. This is the final step in the process.

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Complete Record: This United States Steel promo film "The Electric Arc Furnace" (1955) provides a step-by-step overview of the steel-making process using an electric arc furnace, highlighting the key stages from charging the furnace to tapping the final product. It is one of a series of films made by USS, "The Making, Shaping and Treating of Steel." 0:00 Main titles. The film introduces the electric arc furnace as the tool used to produce stainless steel and other special steels. 0:42 The furnace's main "diet" is scrap metal , with electric power as its heat source. 1:10 A large crane opens the furnace roof, allowing scrap to be charged from the top. The roof then swings back into place. 1:56 The operator lowers large graphite electrodes into the furnace. The film notes that the electricity used in a single furnace is enough to light a "fairsized city." The tremendous heat from the electric arc quickly melts the scrap. 2:37 The "melter," acting as the master chef, controls the recipe for the steel being made. 2:51 With the power off, limestone and iron ore are added to the molten scrap. The iron ore reacts with unwanted elements like carbon, which bubbles away as carbon monoxide gas. 3:28 The limestone forms a molten slag that captures impurities removed from the metal. After the first slag is removed, the melter prepares for the next phase. 3:52 A second slag , known as the reducing slag , is added. This slag removes dissolved oxides, lowers the oxygen content, and protects valuable alloys from oxidation. 4:07 A paddle is used to circulate the slag and ensure it is thoroughly mixed. 4:25 The electrodes are lowered again to heat the mixture and allow the chemical reaction to take place. 4:50 Slag samples are taken for laboratory testing to ensure the steel meets specifications. 5:05 The final alloys —such as chromium, nickel, or tungsten—are added to the bath to create the specific type of steel required. The temperature is then checked with a pyrometer. 5:25 Once the conditions are right, the power is shut off, and the electrodes are raised. 5:48 The furnace, mounted on a rack and pinion, is tilted by the melter's lever to pour the molten steel into a waiting ladle. This is the final step in the process.

Transcription

Hallelujah. [Music] The electric arc furnace is used to make the familiar family of stainless steels and many other special steels. Scrap is the basic diet of the electric arc furnace and electric power is its source of heat. The furnace is a steel shell lined with heatresistant material. Limestone, iron ore, and alloys are added from one side. On the other side is the pouring spout. [Music] The roof swings open, allowing the scrap to be charged from the top. [Music] The electric power is fed through cables to the electrodes, which are raised and lowered by remote control. [Music] Mounted on a huge rack and pinion, the furnace is tipped to pour the molten steel into a waiting ladle. After the furnace is charged with scrap, the operator activates the powerful machinery that swings the huge lid into place. The operator lowers the electrodes to the required distance above the charge. The huge graphite electrodes contain a form of carbon which conducts electricity well. The operator adjusts the controls to feed the required amount of electricity to the furnace through cables that sway with the tremendous power surging to the electrodes. In fact, you could light a fairsized city with the electricity used in a single electric arc furnace. The tremendous heat generated by the electric arc quickly melts the charge. The melter is the master chef who controls the recipe for the special steel he is making. With the furnace off and the electrodes raised, measured amounts of iron ore to control the carbon content and lime to capture impurities are added to the melted scrap. In the furnace, the chemical element iron is mixed with other elements. The iron ore reacts chemically at high temperatures with the unwanted elements. Carbon, for instance, becomes carbon monoxide gas, which bubbles away. Lime forms a molten slag, which captures impurities removed from the metal in the refining process. After the first slag has been removed, the melter inspects the bath to make certain it's ready for the next phase in the steel making operation. Materials are charged into the furnace to make a second slag known as the reducing slag. A huge paddle works the bath to circulate the slagging materials. This reducing slag removes dissolved oxides, lowers the oxygen content of the bath and protects valuable alloy additions from oxidation. After the mixture has been thoroughly paddled, the electrodes are lowered into the furnace. The tremendous heat generated by the electric arc raises the temperature to the point where the chemical reaction reduction takes place. To make sure that each heat of steel meets the exact specifications, samples of the slag are taken for testing in the laboratory. Carefully measured amounts of alloys are added. Alloys like chromium, nickel, venadium, tungsten or others depending on the special kind of steel ordered by the customer. The temperature of the bath is checked with a pyometer. If conditions are right, the furnace is ready to tap. The power is shut off. The electrodes are raised and the melter goes to the tapping side of the furnace. When the melter pushes the lever, the electric arc furnace, which produces the familiar family of stainless steels and special alloy steels, tilts to pour the molten metal into the waiting lake. [Music] [Applause]

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