Improvement of production process for 08-12Kh18N10T steel

Abstract

The Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Combine is one of the primary suppliers of stainless steel on the domestic market. In 2007, approximately 57000 metric tons of stainless steel were produced, of which 83.3% were austenitic steels and 10.9% were ferritic steels. The processes and equipment used support the production of cold-rolled sheet with up to 65% having surface quality M2A or M2B. The combine is continuously working to improve the quality of stainless-steel rolled products. The following measures were implemented in 2006-2007 In electric steel smelting shop No. 6 • renovation/upgrade of the DSP-100I7 for transition to eccentric bottom tapping • addition of a pure-argon blowdown period on the argon-oxygen carburizer, transfer of the ferronickel admixture from the DSP to the argon-oxygen carburizer • modification of the secondary cooling zone in the continuous-casting machine (a lining was added to the crystallizer, and the crystallizer rocking amplitude was increased from ±3 to ±6 mm) In rolling shop No. 4 • the quenching furnace for thick sheet stainless steel • preparations are currently under way for a phased renovation/upgrade with a total capital investment of 300 million US dollars. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.