McLouth Steel

Oxygen process shops

OP 1: Three 60-ton vessels were added in 1954. It was the first successful basic oxygen shop in the United States. The shop was dismantled in 1968 due to high operating costs compared to OP 2.

OP 2: Five oxygen process vessels, with two 110-ton vessels added in 1958, one in 1960, and two more in 1968. All five were built by the Pennsylvania Engineering Company (PECOR). The reason that the relatively small vessels were used was due to the low ceilings in the existing building.

Melt shop

Four 60-ton electric arc furnaces were installed in 1948 as the first expansion project. Two 200-ton electric arc furnaces were installed in 1954 to replace the four original furnaces.

AOD shop

Three 100-net-ton-sized argon oxygen decarburization (AOD) vessels were installed in 1977 by PECOR. Only a total of 39 heats were produced by this process. The average time per heat was 2 hours and 15 minutes. The shop was later dismantled and turned into the ladle metallurgy station.

The entire steelmaking building, with the exception of the lime storage building, was demolished in 2005. The lime storage building was brought down with explosives on April 18, 2010.

Continuous casting

Pilot plant: the first straight stick slab casting machine in America was installed in 1963. The machine was located south of OP 1. Schloemann was the main equipment vendor, and it was dismantled in 1968.

Concast department: there were four low-profile curved molds with progressive straightening. Three molds cast 12-in thick slabs while the other cast 9.5-in ones. All molds could adjust the slab width from 36 to 57 in. Typical casting speed was 34–46 inches per minute for a 12-in slab, and 48-55 in/min for a 9.5-in slab, with a maximum of 120 in/min.

The main building was demolished in 2006.

Furnaces

Soaking pits

5 two-hole batteries. Natural gas fired. Built by Amsler Morton and the Rust Furnace Company in 1948.

Reheat Furnaces

Two conventional three zone, natural gas furnaces that were primarily used to reheat stainless and carbon slabs prior to the caster installation. 125 Net tons per hour each.

First furnace was installed in 1954. Second in 1958. Both were built by the Rust Furnace Company of Pittsburgh, PA.

Eighteen induction slab heating furnaces

Three lines of three heaters were installed in 1968, the last three lines were installed in 1969. Heaters were provided by Ajax Magnethermic and the slab handling equipment by United Engineering and Foundry.

Maximum rated capacity was 645 tons per hour.

Walking beam furnace

Built in 1985. Natural gas fired. 350 tons per hour. 1 hour heating time per slab.

Rolling

Blooming Mill

Two high 41" diameter x 92" rolls. Built by Continental in 1948. Accepted ingots up to 24" x 44" and slabs up to 57" by 12" thick. Twin 3000 horsepower motors.

Roughing Mill

Two high 43" dia. x 59.75" rolls. Built by Mesta in 1954. Twin 2500 horsepower motors.

Six Stand 60-inch (1,500 mm) Rolling mill

Four high mill stand, 25.75" x 64" work rolls and 53.75" x 60" back up rolls. Built by Mesta in 1954. Five 5000 HP motors and one 3500 HP motor. Maximum entering plate was 1.25" thick. Minimum exiting strip was.071"

Two down-coilers

Installed in 1965 by Mesta. Produced a 78" maximum opening coil.

Finish departments

Pickle Line

Built by Mesta in 1954. Used sulfuric acid. The line accepted coils up to 60" at a rate of 90 net tons an hour. The line was 553 feet long.

Slitters

Number 1 slitter

This line had a maximum coil width of 44" and 70" in diameter. Slitting width was 2.001" minimum, 42.5" maximum. Built by Wean in 1948.

Number 2 slitter

60" maximum coil width, 72" diameter. 5" minimum, 55" maximum slitting width. Built in 1948 by Wean.

Number 3 slitter

60" maximum coil width, 72" diameter. 2.001" minimum, 56" maximum slitting width. Built by Wean in 1948.

Number 4 slitter

60" maximum width. 5" minimum, 56" maximum slitting width. 45,000 PSI shear. Built by Wean in 1954.

Number 5 slitter

20" minimum, 60" maximum entry coil. 50,000 PSI shear. 9" minimum slit width. Built by Production Machinery in 1964.

Pickle line and #5 slitter remained until final demolition of the plant.

Gibraltar Plant assets

Pickle line

Pickle liquor

Hydrochloric Acid, 10,000 gallon capacity.

175°F, 10-12% HCL, 12-15% FeCL

Tower

Vertical two pass line. First of its kind in North America. 90 tons per hour maximum capacity. Built by Dravo and Mesta in 1963.

Tandem mill

Mill Stands

60" 4-high, 4-stand continuous.

Maximum 3300 feet per minute. Average speed at 2100 FPM.

Rolls

Back-up roll 53 x 60"

Work roll 22 x 60"

Width range was 26" to 52" wide.

Reduction Capability

1 stand-30%, 2 stand-25%, 3 stand-20%, 4 stand-10%

Annealing

60" Lee Wilson Bases

122 (60 in 1954; 15 in 1955; 47 in 1961)

48 Furnaces of the radiant tube type.

Charge size was 60" x 162" high.

80" Swindell Bases

90 (36 in 1968; 27 in 1971; 27 in 1974)

38 Furnaces of the direct fire type.

Charge size was 80" x 162" high.

Both furnaces used natural gas fuel.

Skin mill

Two 2-high skin pass mills.

Built by Continental in 1954. 1500 Horsepower motors. Maximum speed of 3200 FPM, average of 2800.

Roll sizes

32" x 60"

Finishing departments

Customer Service Line

Built by Wean in 1967. Line speed is 150' to 1000 feet per minute.

60 inch maximum width, 20 inch minimum.

Flying Shear Line

Two lines installed by Mesta in 1954. 800 FPM line speed.

Cut lengths are 48 inches to 144 inches.

Coil Slitting Line

Two lines built by Seco in 1954. 400 FPM line speed.

Pilot plant

In 1963, a full-size single-strand, vertical casting machine was added to the original Oxygen Process Shop. The machine was operated for five years, helping to pioneer techniques that would be useful when the larger four strand shop was constructed in 1968. The pilot shop was operated mostly during the day, while the afternoon and midnight shifts would repair, modify, or tune the machine.

Initial slab sizes were 8" x 36". They then began to cast bigger slabs by about 10" increments up to 10" x 52". There was a noted improvement in quality, as with the ability to cast using larger molds. The pilot plant was limited to about 50 "heats" (ladles of molten steel) from the original OP shop. Over the course of operation, the pilot plant cast a little over 300,000 tons of steel.

The five-year run of the plant produced the opportunity to help develop both the equipment and casting techniques. Extensive work was performed on the design of the molds and the casting speed relative to the slab quality.

Casting plant description

Four single-strand curved mold casting machines cast around 3000 tons per day. Only two casting machines would normally cast at one time, and many people questioned the need for four units. McLouth felt that the third caster was there for coordination reasons, while the fourth was a reserve for maintenance shutdowns. Ladles were moved by overhead bridge cranes to the casting machines, which could handle two at a time.

The record slab length for the plant was between May 9–11, 1972. The slab was 44" wide and 9,972 feet (3,039 m) long, total weight was around 8,500 tons from 75 ladles. Strand two was used.