STEEL RHYTHM

[Music] the steel peach and toaster works stretch for a mile and a half along the sheffield rotherham road and a quarter of a mile across the river dock the two melting shops temple burra and rotherham produce a million tons of steel a year an impressive figure on any kind and the result of an organization that assumes a production rhythm of its own it's not only a big place but a self-contained community we have our own school for trainees where boys have two years scholastic as well as technical training a complete medical service is available to all our employees for general consultation and treatment [Music] the medical service includes modern physiotherapy there are amenities centers with bathing and changing rooms so that we can return home clean after work as the works cover such a large area we need several canteens like this so that none of us has far to go we have our fire brigade with full and part-time crews our maintenance department alone is a factory in a works and accounts for a fifth of our employees our water works take and purify 10 million gallons from the river dom every day we consume 160 000 tons of coal and more than three thousand million cubic feet of gas every year as well as 21.5 million gallons of fuel oil and 120 million units of electricity then there's the traffic department which hauls over 5 million tons on our 30 miles of track every year [Music] in the same period we take in over a million tons of pig iron and scrap and produce from it more than a million tons of fine steel our seven thousand people not only contribute their skill and experience and hard work but also through the works council and production committee participate in every aspect of the life of our community seven thousand people engineers technicians scientists men of a score of crafts we've given you some idea of our size now we'll show you our production a feature of steel production is teamwork and here's one team led by arthur allet starting on a day shift in the temple borough melting shop in this melting shop the steel is made in a long line of 14 open-hearth furnaces each furnace producing 110 tons at each melt every melt has its own card containing details of charging materials and alloys this card is handed on to the relieving team there is a control cabin for each furnace and new teams take over at whatever stage the melt is at the time the night shift have completed one melt and have already proceeded with recharging their furnace with pig iron and steel scrap as soon as he takes over arthur allen looks to see what's cooking each melt is made to an individual specification and takes 10 to 12 hours while modern metallurgical science can ensure analysis to a fine degree the practiced and experienced eye of men like arthur allet is invaluable in the process in the melting stage this process must be under continuous control the flame being reversed periodically from end to end and the temperature being steadily built up and maintained they never refer here to east and west or right and left it's rather amend or sheffield end here's the sheffield oil burner with the flame from it sweeping across the pig iron and scrap while arthur allen is attending to the melt work is also in progress at the rear of the furnace the alloys specified being prepared and placed in position these are for adding after tapping but other alloys are prepared for charging to the furnace during the melt this is the last pan of scrap for this melt during the next seven hours the metal will be made completely molten and then refined so it is not only the temperature of the metal that needs watching but also the temperature of the furnace lining which is submitted to continuous high temperatures maintenance must be planned on a regular basis and there is always at least one furnace being realigned or rebuilt of the 3000 maintenance staff in the works there are 400 brick layers and others to keep the furnaces in running repair or to give a complete overhaul such organized maintenance ensures 12 or 13 furnaces being in production in arthur allen's furnace the surface of the molten metal now is flat indicating the end of the melting period probing with a rod is a check that there are no solids beneath with the completion of the melting period first samples are taken one of slag and three of metal refining state has arrived so a complete analysis of the molten metal is necessary quickly they are cooled and with the cast card the samples are taken to the laboratory where calculations are made for the control of the process during the refining period the percentage of carbon present in the metal is determined by this magnetic instrument chemical analysis reveals the amount of sulfur present the change in color of the solution is a guiding factor in determining the amount from calculations based on these analyses the weights for what is known as the feed are worked out back to arthur allet who watches the feed consisting of measured quantities of lime and iron oxide being added to the molten metal a further step in meeting the specification of this particular method at this stage a further analysis is made by an electronic machine called a quantometer [Music] this searches out the remaining elements in the metal in less than a minute this machine registers the percentages of no less than 13 elements the continued taking and testing of samples has shown that refining is nearly complete behind the furnace itself the teaming ladle is positioned beneath the tap different steels need different molds and these are placed opposite in readiness for the teaming now the temperature check is made the temperature reading will show on this dial in the control cabin when the thermometer is placed in the molten steel by the cabin men from other teams joined to help in the tapping operation the culmination of many hours of personal and scientific control over the making of a hundred tons of fine steel a last sample is taken before the tapping to give the final carbon analysis the sample parser is now in control and he gives the signal for the tap hole to be burnt out with an oxygen pipe [Applause] when the steel begins to flow the number two of our team sure-footed and experienced moves unhurriedly from the molten stream the final carbon analysis brought to the sample parser indicates the amount of coal to be added to give the steel the required carbon content [Music] besides coal alloys already prepared are added during the tapping bringing the ladle of steel to the exact specification ordered at the teaming stage opposite the men are standing by ready to receive the ladle on the melting shop floor arthur allen still watches his furnace until the tapping is completed the ladle is now full of steel and the slag begins to overflow into other ladles below 110 tons of steel is in the ladle and dolomite is thrown with an erroring aim onto the lip of the ladle to build a refractory wall against further overflowing as the ladle is lifted over to the teaming stage other alet knows that with the completion of that melt to an exact and complex specification he can now prepare for the next one charging melting refining tapping and teaming is the continuous cycle of operations in the melting shops [Music] the method of teaming is known as uphill the steel flowing down a central runner and then through channels to the base of the molds [Music] early in the teaming a sample is taken to make a final test of the steel in its molten state before it becomes a solid ingot while the last melt is being teamed into the molds with the same care as in its making the furnace is being fettled and made good ready for the next charge when the steel has solidified the molds are stripped from their inguts at the end of the shift as arthur allen and his crew leave the melting shop the steel which with every scientific aid they have made is on its way to the soaking pits there the ingots will be brought to an even temperature ready for rolling in the cogging mill now the afternoon shift is coming on and in the pulpit above the cogging mill charlie allen chief cogger arrives to take over the control of what is the first of a series of rolling operations the cogging mill is the funnel through which 80 percent of the ingots made in the two melting shops flow for further rolling and manufacture charlie allen relieves his mate without stopping the mill so production continues this rhythm of production demands a regular supply of ingots and this is ensured by planned production in the melting shop and delivery to the soaking pits the maintenance and control of heat in the soaking pits is vital ingots must be brought to correct rolling temperature for their particular specification before they are passed on to the coggers [Music] with each ingot goes such information as the number of the cast the type of steel the size to be rolled and the further mills it is to go through this information is passed to the plan office of the cogging mill in turn the details are sent through to the congress to guide them in their operations [Music] not only is each cast given a number each ingot is given a sequence number and retains its own identity the top cogging roll can be moved up or down to apply the right squeeze to two sides of the ingot without distorting the other two sides these are squeezed after the ingot has been turned by the manipulators [Music] and all the time through the different passes the amount of reduction is carefully adjusted by the coggers so that the displaced steel flows lengthwise there is a complete understanding in the team who with perfect coordination and judgment control the ingot as it goes through as many as 13 passes to become a blue and sent onwards with its heat still retained for further rolling [Music] [Music] so so as the bloom goes away a new ingot is fed to the mill the rhythm of production continues certain qualities of bloom pass through the hot december where a battery of oxyacetylene torches burns off the surface of the steel to remove any imperfections now the bloom passes on to the billet mill after the ends have been cropped the bloom enters the billet mill where billets ranging from one and three quarter inch square to three inch square are produced the first reduction is through the roughing stands these consist of four sets of fixed rolls with guides instead of manipulators to turn the bloom as its section is progressively reduced from roughing the bloom goes to the continuous finishing stands here are six more sets of fixed rolls their speeds geared to take the increasing length of the piece as it moves progressively faster from pass to pass when it emerges flying shears automatically cut to two and a half inch square and 270 foot long billet into preset length and so the billets the required size and length and still at rolling temperature are run onto the cooling beds [Music] some billets are delivered to customers who roll or forge them for their own particular purposes others go for further rolling within the works in the bar mill after being reheated and passed through the roughing stand the billets go on to the finishing stands in these the long bars are moved backward and forward from pass to pass to reduce them in this case to an inch and a half section and the full reduction has to be made while rolling temperature lasts the thinner bars demand a higher rolling speed because there is a more rapid loss of temperature but their flexibility allows them to be looped direct from stand to stand in automatic repeaters the smallest section bars reach a length of 600 feet and they are shared in preset lengths before passing on to be straightened and cooled on an oscillating bed known colloquially as the dragon's teeth you can see how the bars are kept straight whilst cooling as they are passed from one row of teeth to the next in another mill reheated slabs are rolled down into strip through roughing passes edging stands and into finishing passes the speed of the slab as it passes through the rolls quickly increases with its reduction until it emerges from the mill a strip at 30 miles an hour as the strip snakes along the table it quickly loses its rolling heat though it is still hot when it is coiled like other rolled products some strip is sent straight to the customer some is passed on for yet further processing in the cold rolling mill here reductions are measured by the thousandth of an inch and the steel is given a hard smooth surface further on there are rolls that slip the steel into narrower strips and if color is wanted there's a machine to put it on with strip down to a quarter of an inch slabs up to ten by one and a half inches squares from one and three quarter inches up to ten and a quarter inches blooms rounds all are reduced from ingots rolled in the cogging mill an ingot every 90 seconds through charlie allen's hands of past 320 ingots during one shift as much as 1200 tons of steel to be shaped to a thousand different purposes this output reflects not only the skill of the men in the rolling mills soaking pits and melting shop but those who plan to ensure the smooth and regular production flow [Music] and now half a mile away along the rotherham road wilf adams is coming up he works in the heavy forging press where ingots of up to 60 tons specially cast in the melting shop and slowly reheated for up to 48 hours are forged ready for eventual machining his shift has started with a new ingot and he studies the patent which his team will shape it forging will give the ingot not only an external shape but also an internal structure steel can have a grain like that of wood but in forging the grain is one designed and imposed by man [Music] with a pressure of more than two thousand tons the hot metal will be slowly worked into its destined pattern forging the great mass of steel is planned in stages of about an hour's duration punctuated by long periods of reheating the reductions for each stage are carefully calculated the forging team controlling exactly each movement of the ingot and constantly watching its alignment in every dimension each type of forging process has its own distinctive rhythm in this where a whole ingot is shaped it is slow and measured the rhythm is faster with smaller and more quickly heated blocks like these from which railway wheels are made more complex forging tools are also involved to give a regular shape that was what is called the slabbing stroke the second anvil and the ram itself are equipped with dies when the blank has been freed from its retaining ring another squeeze rough shapes in applying pressure the operator's experience gives him the feel of the forging particularly when he exerts a full 6000 ton squeeze of the forming stroke after the axle hole has been punched the wheel is reheated and taken by charger to be rolled to its final size and shape [Music] just as there are continuous analyses and tests during the making of steel so there are inspections throughout the rolling and forging as an example some wheels in each batch are submitted to a falling weight test the wheel is placed on a bed and a ton weight lifted and dropped on it [Music] up to 20 drops are made and a check kept on the amount of distortion which the wheel can suffer without cracking back now to forging railway tires like wheels are press forged from small blocks but they're also punched into thick rings because of the quick loss of heat continuous production is vital with the pressing of one ring another block from the furnace is ready to go under the forging press this ring is going for reheating another ring already reheated is in the roughing mill where it is given a larger diameter and a smaller section it also assumes the first shape of a tyre further on in the finishing mill a rough road tire receives its final shape and diameter so forge furnace and mill keep production moving for small rings sections of round are reheated and taken by conveyor belt to be forged the block is correctly centered before it is slabbed and punched in a single pressing along another conveyor the forging goes straight to a finishing mill where it is rolled into a ring this ring may be for a gear or ball race and some of the larger rings are used in jet engines from leaving the furnace to completing the rolling is a matter of seconds while the heat is retained hammer forging shapes steel with a quite different rhythm it strikes less deeply into the metal and of course with a quick and regular tempo of 150 blows a minute where small reductions are required it is with its flat striking surfaces and simple tools as versatile as the village smithy [Music] hammers use dies where a long run of a particular shape is to be made for railway axles in this case forge has its own deliberate rhythm this gothic bloom already has a lengthwise grain imposed by the rolling process to give it the necessary grain pattern and contours of a railway axle the bloom is moved back and forth twisted round and round between the dies as the seven tonne blows work the metal like most forgings the finished axles go for heat treatment by controlling the speed and degree of heating and the speed and degree of cooling in oil a piece of steel can be given different qualities it can be made hard or soft rigid or resilient while for axles reheating is necessary before quenching for spring plates the same heat which is used for bending it to shape prepares it also for the quenching tank [Music] it emerges hardened to the required degree then straight to a tempering furnace [Music] here a gentler heat and a slower cooling in air give springs the toughness and resiliency to stand up to calculated loads and stresses back in the heavy press another large forging is complete the progress of this forging has been watched through several shifts by wilf adams the steel has been shaped to service steel that had its birth in the melting shop as wolf adams leaves at the end of his shift others are starting theirs on such craftsmen with engineers and scientists depends the high grade and alloyed steel made steel that has a hundred uses in the home or in the office steel for building in bars for reinforced concrete or tubes for scaffolding steel for power in cables or dynamo shafting steel for communication from equipment to masts steel for agriculture from tools to giant harvesters steel for transport by road rail sea and air [Music] steel for a thousand purposes a million tons every year [Music] you