This paper reports on the Congress of the Arab Iron and Steel Union (AISU) that has been convened in Beirut, Lebanon, September 29 - October 1, 2004. Presentations dealt with the global theme of the development of the steel industry in the Arab Countries or with the technical aspects of steel production routes and continuous casting.

After presentation of the history of oxygen steelmaking, with special emphasis on the LD process, the numerous further developments and variants of the converter process are discussed. Finally, a tentative synthesis between electric and converter steelmaking is proposed. The article ends with considerations on the future of oxygen converter technology.

Electromagnetic techniques attended to the development of the steelmaking process almost right from the beginning. Although their implementation requires a high level of knowledge they are quite commonly used. This was made possible thanks to close collaboration between steelmakers that implement, university laboratories, prominent among them is Madylam, and equipment suppliers. With the help of three examples, this paper shows what are the ingredients of an efficient collaboration in the field of Electro Processing of Materials (EPM).

The zero-waste pilot plant was erected in Vítkovice (Ostrava, CZ) and 9 test campaigns have been performed to date (January 2004). The feasibility of the process with various by-products from carbon and stainless steel production, and from other important activity sectors (power plants, car dismantling companies) was positively assessed. Two different mineral products have been produced according to targets: clinker substitutes for cement production and metallurgical powders for secondary metallurgy. Attractive economic figures were calculated, especially for the treatment of stainless steel by-products.

The VAI Variable Speed Descaler takes full advantage from the use of variable speed pumps powered by inverter driven AC motors. Integration with strip tracking and feed forward pump control, together with direct application, allow to optimize the energy savings, to improve pumps life and to simplify the layout. Integration with flow and pressure feedback measurements at headers allows headers pressure tuning, nozzle wear compensation, process control with different “descaling recipes” as function of steel grade and main strip parameters, bar-to-bar adaptation of descaling parameters in case in-line surface inspection is present. Specific “descaling recipes” and pumping station design, together with proper mill scheduling, result in a new maintenance concept allowing to run the system without a stand-by pump, saving investment cost. First two references of this new system are at the hot strip mills of Ilva Taranto (HSM No. 1) (Italy) and of Duferco La Louvière (Belgium).


A real time synchrotron analysis of the breakdown of the inhibition effect of the Fe2Al5 layer is reported. Both δ and δ−ζ Fe-Zn phases grow simultaneously when inhibition is suppressed until the Zn layer is consummated. Then the δ phase grows at the expense of the δ−ζ phase. The same mechanism is observed both below and above the Zn melting point. Phase transformations kinetics obey an Arrhenius type law that is not affected by the liquid or solid state of the Zn layer.

For pre-painted surfaces, contamination comes essentially from the air and it is important to have a relevant test to characterize the surface behaviour towards bacteria according to its conditions of use. A colour test is introduced that enables to detect active or dead bacteria directly on a contaminated surface. Means to avoid the proliferation of microorganisms are presented. The behaviour of two pre-painted topcoats doped with organic and inorganic bactericidal additives is described. On fresh and clean surfaces, the organic coatings have a very slight biocide effect. The weakest bacteria are rapidly destroyed whereas the more resistant ones are only inactivated several days later. On fouled surfaces, the bacterial destruction is very limited. In the selected experimental conditions, the standard pre-painted topcoat has the same behaviour as the doped ones.

A portable system to measure strip vibration at the nozzles level on continuous galvanizing lines is presented. It consists of three inductive sensors: two sensors are located near the strip edges and the last one is at the centre of the strip. This system has allowed reproducible results, provided the appropriate calibration procedure is used. The device has been successfully implemented on three lines of Arcelor. Considering the effect of strip tension and size, the frequency and amplitude measurements confirm the trends that can be expected from numerical modelling. Amplitude is always increased by the gas cooling power in the tower. Strip tension has a predictable effect on the frequency peaks; however its effect on amplitude is more ambiguous. Other observations have been made concerning the effects of pot roll bearings and roll intermesh.

The projects of Arcelor innovation R&D aim at developments having a time to market from a few months, for the most advanced, up to the end of the decade, for the most futuristic. They are carried out in partnership with the automotive industry. Ultra-high strength steels are a recent major innovation. They offer an effective answer to the request for improved safety and reduced energy consumption and contribute to sustainable development. The author introduces three major innovative developments: new technologies for high strength steels implementation, new openings for an improved cost/weight saving balance, new surface properties, based on nanotechnology. It is the ambitious claim of Arcelor, now and for the future, to afford steel solutions for all purposes, in particular for the automotive industry. The Arcelor-Nippon Steel collaboration makes it possible to bring an even better answer to the request of customers for further developments.

The author describes the steel research organization that has been developed in Sweden from the middle of the twentieth century and reports on the most recent assessments of its cost effectiveness. Jernkontoret has been the central organization of the Swedish steel industry since 1747. Jernkontoret originated several famous Swedish institutes or universities, such as the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Luleä University of Technology, Dalarna University, the Swedish Institute for Metal Research and MEFOS. The work of the institutes is funded by commissions from the Swedish or the foreign industry, and grants from the Swedish State and the European Union. Total costs of steel research in Sweden are on the order of 100 M€ per year. A recent Jernkontoret report concluded that the State aided joint research in the Swedish steel industry generated at least a fivefold return.