Enhanced quality expected from Burns Harbor’s $140-million walking beam furnace investment

03.07.2019

These new furnaces will allow Burns Harbor to offer higher quality substrate to downstream facilities and customers. Slabs are “walked” through the furnace instead of being pushed, thus eliminating the possibility of surface defects.

Inside the hot strip mill, work on the furnace foundations has begun. Work in preparation for the installation of the new walking beam furnaces is being done while the current pusher-type furnaces remain in operation.

“Surface quality is critical to all customers, especially automakers,” said Jean Louis Muller, senior division manager, hot rolling and finishing, ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor and Columbus. “The walking beam furnaces will greatly reduce the risk of defects before the product ever reaches the customer. This decrease in the number of imperfections will reduce quality issues for our automotive customers who now do most of their inspections at the end of the car assembly process.”

The $140 investment project is part of ArcelorMittal’s Action 2020 improvement plan. The project was approved in Q2 2018 and preparations of the work site began immediately.

“These new walking beam furnaces replace three existing pusher furnaces that each had 300 tph capacities,” says Jeff Cox, operations technology manager, 80” hot strip mill. “In addition to improved quality, other benefits include increased hot mill yield, improved fuel efficiency, elimination of coke oven gas at the hot mill and avoiding substantial maintenance costs from the existing aging furnaces.”

Paving the way

There’s been significant progress in recent months with foundation installations, final engineering details and equipment fabrication work being done offsite. Inside the hot strip mill, the furnace foundations are progressing. Outside the hot strip mill, furnace foundation installation and new building grade walls are underway. Once the furnace foundations are in place, the new charge table foundations will be added between the furnace building extension and the slab yard. Concrete pours also continue in these areas.

Teamwork in action

Hot strip mill salaried and bargaining unit employees, along with engineering, continue to collaborate to ensure project timelines and objectives are met. Bi-monthly update meetings, monthly steering committee meetings and monthly safety meetings are conducted to communicate project activities.

Preparing for installation

The furnace and new roll line foundation work is scheduled to be completed by the spring of 2019. By then, installation of the new equipment is scheduled to begin. The targeted start-up of both new furnaces is Q4 2020 with full production by Q1 2021.

Outside the hot strip mill, furnace foundation installation and construction of new building walls are underway.

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