US Steel Mon Valley Works FFF System

Highest thickness tolerances at one of the oldest hot rolling mills in USA

US Steel—Mon Valley Works | United States | 1995-1996

99%

thickness tolerances within 1/4 of the ASTM A568 standard

No change

to screwdown finishing mill equipment

No change

to looper finishing mill equipment

The Challenge

  • US Steel wanted to improve the quality and reliability of steel production from its first generation hot strip mill (HSM) built in 1938.
  • High amounts of out-of-thickness-tolerance steel from the HSM were leading to yield loss in downstream finishing processes.
  • Automatic systems were being considered to control the finishing mill, including mill setup, automatic gauge control (AGC), and run-out table spray control.
  • As the finishing mill had older screwdown systems driven by electric motors and older looper systems, AGC upgrading solutions were evaluated based on performance, installation schedule, and capital expenditure.


解决方案

  • The Hatch Force Feed Forward (FFF) system provided the best value to the HSM in Irvin, Pennsylvania, with a high performance comparable to the best-in-class AGC systems.
  • With a low capital expenditure, the FFF offered a maintenance-free AGC system that adapts to mill conditions continuously.
  • The HSM was able to convert from the old AGC to the new FFF with a simple operator desk switch.
  • The FFF system was integrated with other control-system models being upgraded in the same project.

The Highlights

  • 孵化provided the FFF-AGC system and integrated it into the mill-control-system architecture and the new mill setup model.
  • Extensive simulation was required to ensure that the FFF system would interact properly with the new setup model, drives, and mill-tracking system.
  • The HSM gauge performance exceeded the project's thickness tolerances objectives of 97% within the 1/4 ASTM A568 standards.

"Significant, quantifiable performance improvements were achieved on the Irvin Plant 80” Hot Strip Mill in a cost-effective manner without major mechanical equipment replacement. Improved accuracy, repeatability, and consistency were achieved by utilizing relatively inexpensive computer systems with adaptive mathematical models."

Scott M. Dorn|Project Engineer, US Steel Mon Valley Works, Engineering Department

“Beyond the initial installation, shadowing, tuning, and acceptance testing, the Hatch FFF system has been a relatively self-sustained "black box" and required minimal system maintenance."

Mike Elphinstone|Level 2 Engineer, US Steel Irvin Works

Project numbers

98.7%-pluswithin 1/4 of ASTM A568 standard-thickness tolerances for thin rolled material

0 maintenancerequired for computer models due to adaptive nature

0 learningcurve start-up through preshipment testing with other systems

Services & technologies provided

Iron & Steel

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