Burners became clogged, and the system eventually didn't reheat steel uniformly. Operators will be able to remove the new system's burners without removing the side guides. The company wants the new burners to be in place by mid-1998. Weirton hopes the system will help it roll lighter gages. The hot-strip mill currently rolls down to 0.060 inch.
Lighter gages increase wear on finishing rolls, but a hotter strip is easier to roll.
Weirton hasn't determined how much lighter it will roll once the new burners are installed. Heat loss on the edge of the strip can also be a quality concern. Cooler steel's grain structure is slightly different from warmer steel's. Maintaining edge heat will help lead to a consistent grain structure throughout the strip, Beatty says. The developers hope to apply the technology to reheating on pickling and continuous-annealing lines.