Abstract: The instant invention is an improvement on a method of making wire coils comprising the steps of rolling a length of wire having a leading end and a trailing end and displacing the wire in a longitudinal travel direction and coiling the wire into succeeding overlapping loops and depositing same onto an upstream conveyor. The loops are transferred from the upstream conveyor to a downstream conveyor and are deposited from the downstream conveyor onto a centering device to form a coil thereon. The downstream conveyor is driven to move the loops at a generally constant slow transport speed but the upstream conveyor is driven to move the loops at a substantially faster transport speed when loops of a portion of the wire having one of the ends are being deposited on the upstream conveyor. Otherwise the upstream conveyor is driven at the same slow speed as the downstream conveyor so that the loops of the end portion will be spaced more in the travel direction than the other loops of the wire.

Abstract: The wire rolling mill has a plurality of roughing stands, a cropping shears, a finishing block, a coiler with a coiler pipe and a coiler drive including a coiler motor and a coiler gear unit and a delivery conveyor for the finished wire deposited in coils. The wire rolling mill also has a controller with a computer which controls the cropping shears with a predetermined rolling program by a computer shear command. The cropping shears cuts away a cropped length from the rolled wire rod workpiece prior to entry in the finishing block defined in the computer shear command thus producing a wire head to be deposited in coils. The cropped length of the wire is put in line with the position of the coiler. The coiler is provided with a rotation angle position transmitter operating with digital pulses which is connected with the controller and whose angular position corresponds to the coiler pipe positions.

Abstract: Method of cooling strands in the continuous casting of steel with a carbon content of 0.05 to 1.1 weight-percent, in which, for the production of billets having reduced segregations, cooling is performed very intensively in a first stage (3) and less intensively in a second stage (4) (FIG. 4).

Abstract: A process for the direct reduction of iron ore in a shaft furnace having an upper reducing zone and a lower cooling zone in which reducing gas is introduced to the furnace at the bottom of the reducing zone around the periphery of the furnace, exhausted reducing gas or top gas is removed from the top of the furnace, cleaned, mixed with additional hydrocarbons, and reinjected into the furnace below the reducing zone. The hot reducing gas is injected serially into different sectors of the cross-section of the furnace and at varying velocities to force upflowing cleaned top gas to change its flow path or its flow rate, or both, periodically. Apparatus for accomplishing the method is also disclosed.

Abstract: Iron sponge, containing at least 0.5% carbon, is preheated with an oxidizing gas as the gas flows in a direction traverse to the direction of the sponge, without combustion of the iron sponge.

Abstract: A bottom outlet or discharge for metallurgical vessels includes a sleeve brick, a nozzle brick positioned in the sleeve brick, the nozzle brick having therethrough a discharge opening, and a highly wear-resistant tubular sleeve fitted within the discharge opening of the nozzle brick. The sleeve brick, the nozzle brick and the sleeve are formed of materials such that they have thermal expansions at 1400.degree. C. of from 1.0 to 1.15%, from 0.5 to 0.8% and from 1.1 to 1.25%, respectively.

Abstract: A process for the direct reduction of iron ore in a shaft furnace having an upper reducing zone and a lower cooling zone in which reducing gas is introduced to the furnace at the bottom of the reducing zone around the periphery of the furnace, exhausted reducing gas or top gas is removed from the top of the furnace, cleaned, mixed with additional hydrocarbons, and reinjected into the furnace below the reducing zone. The hot reducing gas is injected serially into different sectors of the cross-section of the furnace and at varying velocities to force upflowing cleaned top gas to change its flow path or its flow rate, or both, periodically. Apparatus for accomplishing the method is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of manufacturing wire rod having a content of silicon and manganese greater than 1.5% is described, wherein the average final rolling temperature in processing the rod is from 870.degree. C. to 970.degree. C. and the rod is cooled in an extended position. The composition of steels utilized in the method is also described.

Abstract: In a process for cooling rolled wire a coolant tube is mounted directly behind a pair of grooved rollers used to roll wire stock into wire, the coolant being introduced into the tube in a direction opposite the direction of wire movement through the tube. The tube is provided with an inlet at a spaced distance from the rollers, and coolant supply bores are provided on the tube in communication with the inlet. Coolant under a pressure at more than 5 atmospheres is introduced through the bores in a direction toward the rollers to thereby cool the rolled wire. The coolant issuing from an end of the tube adjacent the rollers likewise serves to cool the rollers.