Title

Increased Quality of Wire Rod due to Improved Cooling Technologies

Increased Quality of Wire Rod due to Improved Cooling Technologies

Authorship

DR.-ING. RAINER SCHMIDT, PROF.; JÖRG SCHARF, DR.-ING.

DR.-ING. RAINER SCHMIDT, PROF.

I am this author

JÖRG SCHARF, DR.-ING.

I am this author

DOI

10.5151/2594-5297-LA6870

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Abstract

In the past few years, development of wire rod mills has led to both an essential increase of mill speed and a remarkable improvement of finished product quality. This increased quality results in an important reduction of cost during further processing of rod products, thus opening up better sales prospects for the manufacturers of wire rod. Reasons for this development are new line concepts which consequently aim at closer finished product tolerances and also offer numerous possibilities of influencing product quality, especially by properly cooling the rod strand. Based upon the research and development work done by SKET Walzwerkstechnik GmbH, this paper reflects on the most important ways of how to improve the quality of rolled wire rods, describing the basic configuration of advanced wire rod mills by mainly dealing with vital machinery such as mill stands, wire rod blocks and cooling systems. The paper has strongly focused on the explanation of cooling systems used to purposefully influence the microstructure of rolled rods. To this end, SKET has developed the APROCS (Advanced Property Control System) computer model which can be used to design the mill in an optimum manner (roll pass design, power demand, speeds) as well as to allow precalculation of the mill temperature curve for the varying material grades to be rolled. In parallel, database systems for optimal temperature curves have been elaborated in order to obtain typical material properties. The desired temperature range is ensured by using specific in-line measuring and control systems. The APROCS model package along with its sub-programs enables the user of SKET-made rolling mills to essentially improve the quality of his products and save a good deal of money.

In the past few years, development of wire rod mills has led to both an essential increase of mill speed and a remarkable improvement of finished product quality. This increased quality results in an important reduction of cost during further processing of rod products, thus opening up better sales prospects for the manufacturers of wire rod. Reasons for this development are new line concepts which consequently aim at closer finished product tolerances and also offer numerous possibilities of influencing product quality, especially by properly cooling the rod strand. Based upon the research and development work done by SKET Walzwerkstechnik GmbH, this paper reflects on the most important ways of how to improve the quality of rolled wire rods, describing the basic configuration of advanced wire rod mills by mainly dealing with vital machinery such as mill stands, wire rod blocks and cooling systems. The paper has strongly focused on the explanation of cooling systems used to purposefully influence the microstructure of rolled rods. To this end, SKET has developed the APROCS (Advanced Property Control System) computer model which can be used to design the mill in an optimum manner (roll pass design, power demand, speeds) as well as to allow precalculation of the mill temperature curve for the varying material grades to be rolled. In parallel, database systems for optimal temperature curves have been elaborated in order to obtain typical material properties. The desired temperature range is ensured by using specific in-line measuring and control systems. The APROCS model package along with its sub-programs enables the user of SKET-made rolling mills to essentially improve the quality of his products and save a good deal of money.

Keywords

Wire rod; Cooling systems; Microstructure; APROCS; Rolling mill optimization

Wire rod; Cooling systems; Microstructure; APROCS; Rolling mill optimization