Abstract: Environment-friendly process for descaling, pickling and finishing/passivating in a continuous, integrated and flexible manner, applicable to any type of stainless steel, regardless of its physical structure, chemical composition and nature of surface oxides to be removed, within a single plant in which the required chemical, electrochemical, mechanical and hydromechanical treatments are carried out, merely diversifying the operative conditions of each treatment according to the stainless steel type to be processed. The process and the plant according to the invention allow elevated reaction rate, excellent surface quality, low energy and chemical reagent consumption and total environmental compatibility. The figure shows the block diagram of an embodiment of the plant according to the invention.

Abstract: A twin roll caster for an apparatus for confining the impurities in a molten metal fed by means of a discharger and contained into an area of a strip continuous casting mold delimited by the side surfaces of two casting rolls with counter-rotating horizontal axis and by two containment side plates positioned in contact with the rolls' bases is provided.

Abstract: Apparatus for confining the impurities in a molten metal fed by means of a discharger and contained into an area (3) of a strip continuous casting mould delimited by the side surfaces of two casting rolls with counter-rotating horizontal axis (1a, 1b)and by two containment side plates (2a, 2b) positioned in contact with the rolls' bases, comprising: a discharger (4) having at least two first series of holes (4a, 4a?) for the molten metal supply, each series being formed by at least a pair of holes respectively directed towards one of the opposed side surfaces of the two rolls (1a, 1b)and at least a second pair of holes (4b, 4b?) for the molten metal supply, each hole of such second pair being directed towards the side plate nearest thereto, and said at least one second pair of holes (4b, 4b?) being positioned at a greater depth with respect to said two first series of holes (4a, 4a?); at least two pairs of barriers (5) present in one part of the area (3) comprised between the end of the plunger and the co

Abstract: A process for the production of electrical steel strips, in which a strip is directly cast from molten steel and contains alloy elements apt to generate a precipitation of sulphides and/or nitrides apt to inhibit the grain growth. The strip is hot rolled in-line with the casting operation at a temperature between 1250 and 1000° C., and in which the strip is coiled after hot rolling at a temperature of less than 780° C. if sulphides are utilized, or at a temperature of less than 600° C. if nitrides, or nitrides plus sulphides, are utilized.

Abstract: In the production of electrical steel strips, a special islab-reheating treatment before hot rolling is carried out so that the maximum temperature within the furnace is reached by the slab well before its extraction from the furnace. During the heating stage and performance at the highest temperatures of the thermal cycle, second phase particles are dissolved and segregated elements are distributed in the metallic matrix, while during cooling and temperature equalising steps of the slab in the furnace a controlled amount of small second phases particles are more homogeneously re-precipitated from the metallic matrix. Differently from all the conventional processes for the production of electrical steels, the slab reheating furnace become a site in which it is performed the precipitation of a controlled amount of second phases particles for the necessary grain growth control during the successive process steps.

Abstract: A process for the production of grain oriented electrical Fe-Si strips in which a Si-containing alloy is directly cast as a strip between 2.5–5.0 mm thick and cold rolled in one stage, or in more stages with intermediate annealing, to a final thickness of between 0.15–1.0 mm. The strip is then continuously annealed to carry out the primary recrystallization and then annealed to carry out the oriented secondary recrystallization. The process further includes that after solidification of the strip, and before its coiling, a phase transformation from Ferrite to Austenite is induced into the metal matrix for a volume fraction between 25–60%, obtained by controlling the alloy composition so that the Austenite fraction is allowed within the stability equilibrium between the two phases. The strip is then deformed by rolling in-line with the casting step to obtain a deformation higher than 20% in the temperature interval 1000–1300° C.

Abstract: Process for the production of oriented grain electrical steel strips, in which a silicon steel, comprising at least 30 ppm of S, is directly cast as strip 1.5-4.5 mm thick and cold rolled to a final thickness of between 1.0 and 0.15 mm; characterised by the following staged: Cooling and deformation of the solidified strip to obtain a second phases distribution in which 600 cm?1<Iz<1500 cm?1 and Iy=1.9 Fv/r (cm?1), Fv being the volume fraction of second phases stable at temperatures of less than 800° C., and r being the precipitates mean radius, in cm; Hot rolling between solidification and coiling of the strip at a temperature of not less than 750° C., with a reduction ratio of between 15 and 60%; Cold rolling with reduction ratio of 60-92%; Cold rolled strip annealing at 750-1100° C., with increase of the nitrogen content of at least 30 ppm with respect to the initial composition at the strip core, in nitriding atmosphere.