The original ladles weighed 105 tons. If the ladle capacity was to increase from 250 tons to 320 tons, a 28-percent increase, the ladle could be heavier by only 5 tons, or 4 percent. Furthermore, the diameter of the ladle between the crane hooks had to remain the same. Kawasaki designed an elliptical ladle to overcome such restrictions. The older ladles had a circular cross section.
Circular ladles have more rigidity than elliptical ladles.
Without reinforcement, the ladle will become more elliptical when lifted, and that deformation puts stress on ladle refractories. To overcome the rigidity problem, engineers designed thicker bottom plates and stiffener bands for the ladles. The thicker bottom plate and bands added only five tons to the new ladles. Nucor Berkeley's logistics When planners developed the melt shop for Nucor's new mill in Berkeley County, S.C., logistics were a top priority. Our design eliminates logistical problems.