Abstract:
WHEN SPEAKING OF COLD STRIP ROLLING, ESPECIALLY CARBON STRIPS, MAINLY FINAL GAUGES BETWEEN 1.5 MM AND 0.35 MM ARE REFERRED TO. COLD ROLLING OF THINNER STRIPS POSES SPECIAL CHALLENGES FOR THE PLANT TECHNOLOGY AND THE PROCESS CONTROL. IN ADDITION TO THE TARGETED FINAL THICKNESSES, IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO ATTAIN THE STRIP QUALITY AND THE REQUIRED PRODUCT PROPERTIES, SUCH AS FLATNESS OR SURFACE QUALITY. ROLLING JOBS, WHICH INVOLVE SPECIAL CHALLENGES, ARE PREFERABLY PERFORMED IN REVERSING MILLS BECAUSE HERE, THE ROLLING PROCESS IS BETTER MANAGEABLE, AND A STRIP BREAK HAS LESS IMPACT ON THE PRODUCTION. THE LIMITATION ON REVERSING COLD MILLS, HOWEVER, IS THE RESTRICTED PRODUCTION CAPACITY, WHICH, IN THE CASE OF SINGLE-STAND MILLS, IS AROUND 300,000 TONS PER YEAR AND IN THE CASE OF TWO-STAND COMPACT COLD MILLS, AROUND 600,000 TONS, DEPENDING ON THE PROCESSED STRIP WIDTHS AND STRIP GAUGES. THE PRODUCTIVITY OF A TANDEM MILL IS EVEN HIGHER AT A BETTER YIELD RATE TOGETHER WITH COMBINED PROCESS STEPS. THERE ARE REGIONS ON THE WORLD MARKET - THIS INCLUDES THE ASIA/PACIFIC REGION - WHICH HAVE A VERY HIGH DEMAND FOR COLD-ROLLED THIN STRIP IN A THICKNESS RANGE OF 0.50 MM TO 0.15 MM. TWO OF THE MAIN APPLICATIONS FOR THIS MATERIAL ARE ROOFING AND PACKAGING. WITH THE CAPACITIES INSTALLED IN THIS REGION ALONE, THE DEMAND CANNOT BE MET COMPLETELY. SMS GROUP SUPPLIED TWO COUPLED PICKLING/TANDEM ROLL MILLS ESPECIALLY FOR THIS DEMAND. THIS PAPER PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW ON THE CHALLENGES AND EXPERIENCES MADE DURING COMMISSIONING OF THESE TWO PLTCMS. THE FOCUS IS ON MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT AND PROCESS CONTROL ITEMS.