In connection with the increasingly severe environment regulation, VOEST-ALPINE Industrieanlagenbau (VAI) has developed the WETFINE system, which allows to reduce the emissions from sinter, pellet, waste incineration plants, etc. to previously unattained levels. The key element of this system, a wet electrostatic precipitator, removes not only fine dust particles from the offgas stream, but also dioxin and furan, as well as SO3 compounds.

Rotary furnaces are a well established alternative to cupola furnaces. Recent innovations in oxygas furnaces have made them the preferred choice even over medium-frequency electric furnaces in many European foundries. The article explains in what respects the rotary furnace is a new iron smelting concept, as different from the cupola furnace as the medium-frequency electric furnace.

Irsid and DCPR from Nancy present an investigation on the generation and the abatement of organic molecules in the flue gas of an electric arc furnace. Investigated in detail are the environmental cleanliness of scrap, the mixed pyrolysis and combustion that generates these molecules, the solution to destroy them completely that a perfect post-combustion offers, as demonstrated in the laboratory and as extrapolated for industrial scale, and the condensation of dioxines in the flue gas collection system.

As part of the modernization project of C.-S. Chertal in view of the increase of its annual production to 3.5 Mt, the RH degassing unit has been revamped in order to produce 1 Mt of ultra-low carbon steel. Three goals had to be reached : avoid the raise of tapping temperature in the BOF - RH - CC4 route, reach 100% of heats with a carbon under 30 ppm in the tundish, achieve a high level of availability of the degasser. We present here the technical solutions and operating modifications chosen.

The pickling line and cold rolling tandem mill at the Parrows Point Works of Bethlehem Steel Corporation are linked in a continuous processing complex. This complex has been automated by VOEST-ALPINE Industrieanlagenbau (VAI) through the implementation of a comprehensive package of innovative solutions. This project has contributed to improve significantly the quality parameters of the strips produced by the cold rolling plant (thickness, flatness, etc.) and to increase its yield.

Statistical methods have been used to analyze the thickness variations in coils of packaging steel. A sampling procedure has been defined in order to characterize the thickness variations in length and width directions for a given coil and from coil to coil. The analysis has allowed to evaluate the respective contribution of the various sources of scatter in relation with the production sequence and to define a strategy for the improvement of the results in this area.

A neural network model, trained by a genetic algorithm, has been developed to study the thickened ends of the pipes rolled by means of two stretch-reducing mills. The forecasting of the model showed a good performance that avoids other complicated developments based on precise structural approaches that generally take a great amount of elaboration time. The neural network can be applied to build an automatic procedure for the definition of the production parameters to minimize the discarded material of the pipe that is not in the limits imposed by the geometrical specifications.

"Martensite-retained austenite" constituents play an important role on Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) toughness in the welding of structural steels. The influence of thermal cycles - especially in the case of multipass welding - and of steel composition on the presence of such constituents is discussed here. Fracture initiation mechanisms related to these constituents are also examined.

In Japan, automobile and steel engineers are working together for automotive body weight reduction. They are focusing on weight reduction from the point of view of both body structure and material. In order to meet the increasingly severe requirements for weight reduction, aiming at the limitation of the fuel consumption, an expansion in the range of application of HSS is vital. To realize further reduction, joint research by steelmakers and automobile manufacturers will become increasingly important.

Multi-thickness blanks (MTB) enable the weight and the design of a part to be optimized thanks to an appropriate distribution of thicknesses and/or mechanical properties. This is usually obtained by adding a reinforcement piece onto the main part, both having been previously cut and stamped separately. With MTB, pre-cut blanks are assembled before being stamped together. This allows, in particular, the stamping and assembling operations to be decreased, with a cost reduction thrown in. MTB's gather tailored blanks, already well known and broadly used, and patchwork blanks which are nowadays mainly at a development stage and give rise to an increasing interest due to their potentialities.

In view of the weight reduction strategies required and increasingly implemented by the automobile industry, growing importance is being attached not only to the materials but also the forming methods used. Forming processes using hydraulic media in particular offer the potential to produce more complex parts economically while optimizing component properties. The tube hydroforming (IHU) and hydromechanical sheet forming (AHU) processes are ideally suited for the production of automotive components in line with these requirements.