Nucor Steel to upgrade Steckel mill in Alabama

The Steckel mill at the Nucor Steel site in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is being converted by SMS into a tandem Steckel mill with a higher capacity for the production of high-strength thin strips. The newly introduced CVC plus technology promises a significant improvement in strip quality.

Nucor Steel, Alabama, USA, has placed an order with SMS group for the comprehensive modernization and expansion of its Steckel mill at its Tuscaloosa site. The centerpiece of the project is the conversion of the existing plant into a highly advanced tandem Steckel mill. According to SMS, to enhance the rolling mill’s ability to produce thin, high-strength products, an additional high-performance mill stand will be installed downstream of the existing stand to create a tandem Steckel mill. Both stands will be employed simultaneously for reversing roughing passes and finishing passes. The tandem arrangement of the stands also allows the use of special work rolls in one stand to manufacture base plates and checker plates.
The existing entry and exit-side Steckel furnaces will be replaced with new furnaces in a state-of-the-art, closed-type design. These advanced furnaces are highly efficient at maintaining the right product temperature and protecting the roller tables against heat radiation. The improved furnace efficiency reduces the system’s natural gas consumption.
Once the revamp has been completed, both mill stands will be equipped with CVC plus technology to ensure maximum strip quality. CVC is an extremely effective tool for controlling the strip profile and flatness through a combination of bending and axial shifting of the work rolls with a special contour.
As the systems supplier in charge of the upgrade, SMS group will also handle the modernization of the electrical and automation systems in the Steckel mill, including the main drives, sensors, measuring equipment and instrumentation, as well as the mill’s basic and process automation.
According to SMS, this conversion will enable Nucor Steel to significantly increase its production capacity and get ready to meet future challenges in the steel industry.
Source: SMS group