Abstract: Seamless steel tubes suitable for use as grades of casing and line pipe having yield strengths in excess of 70,000 psi, without being heat treated, are made of an alloy comprising, by weight, about 0.10% to 0.18% carbon, about 1.0% to 2.0% manganese, about 0.10% to 0.16% vanadium, about 0.008% to 0.012% titanium and about 150 parts per million to 220 parts per million nitrogen, the balance comprising iron and incidental impurities. Strains are applied to the shell in a stretch reducing mill below the T.sub.nr of the steel and above the A.sub.r3 to provoke dynamic recrystallization. The nitrogen and vanadium are preferably introduced to the steel during alloying in the form of a VN alloying agent. The vanadium, titanium and nitrogen are predominantly present as vanadium nitride and titanium nitride. The steel may also comprise 0.03% to 0.05% aluminum by weight.

Abstract: A method for producing seamless steel tubes suitable for use as grades of casing and line pipe having yield strengths in excess of 70,000 psi, without being heat treated. Such steels are made of an alloy comprising, by weight, about 0.10% to 0.18% carbon, about 0.10% to 2.0% manganese, about 0.10% to 0.16% vanadium, about 0.008% to 0.012% titanium and about 150 parts per million to 220 parts per million nitrogen, the balance comprising iron and incidental impurities. The subject method comprises the steps of alloying a steel of the aforesaid chemical composition, forming the steel into a billet of steel, reheating the billet in a reheating furnace, passing the billet through a piercing mill to form a steel shell, elongating the steel shell within a mandrel mill, and reducing the diameter of the elongated shell in a stretch reducing mill. Strains are applied to the shell in the stretch reducing mill below the T.sub.nr of the steel and above the A.sub.r3 to provoke dynamic recrystallization.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling the shape of a hot railroad rail during accelerated cooling of the rail head. The railroad rail is cooled along its web-base junction at a rate which achieves a pre-selected degree of shape control, while avoiding over-cooling of the upper portion of the web or the tips of the rail base. The apparatus comprises spray means for applying selected volumes of coolant to the web-base junction of the rail oriented about the periphery of the rail. Such apparatus may be used to shape a rail during the accelerated cooling thereof in line with a rolling mill.

Abstract: An improved method and apparatus for quenching elongated steel pipe in a liquid cooling medium substantially improves the straightness of the finished product. After being heated to an initial temperature higher than the austenite transformation temperature, the pipe is positioned within an enclosure formed by mating semi-cylindrical shell members. Two streams of coolant are introduced to flow through the interior of the pipe, and over the exterior of the pipe, respectively, the relative volumes of flow of the two streams of coolant being regulated to ensure substantially uniform rates of cooling as between the interior and exterior surfaces of the pipe.

Abstract: Railroad rails having improved wear resistance, are produced by controlled forced cooling from above the austenite transformation temperature, to produce rails having a fine pearlite metallurgical structure in the head portions of the rails. Apparatus comprising a series of cooling headers utilizing a liquid cooling medium, such as unheated (i.e., cold, or ambient temperature) water, alternating with a series of air zones, is preferably arranged in line with the production rolling mill, to receive hot rails as they emerge from the mill, without the necessity of intervening reheating. A roller type restraint system transports the rails through the cooling apparatus, while restraining them in the appropriate position.

Abstract: Railroad rails having improved wear resistance, are produced by controlled forced cooling from above the austenite transformation temperature, to produce rails having a fine pearlite metallurgical structure in the head portions of the rails. Apparatus comprising a series of cooling headers utilizing a liquid cooling medium, such as unheated (i.e. cold, or ambient temperature) water, alternating with a series of air zones, is preferably arranged in line with the production rolling mill, to receive hot rails as they emerge from the mill, without the necessity of intervening reheating. A roller type restraint system transports the rails through the cooling apparatus, while restraining them in the appropriate position.

Abstract: Apparatus for changing tuyere and tuyere stock assemblies of a blast furnace in accordance with one aspect of the invention includes support rail means extending around the furnace and fixed a selected distance above the level of the tuyeres of the furnace. A primary carriage is arranged for travel along said rail means and first motor means are provided for effecting such travel. A guide frame is connected to the primary carriage and depends downwardly therefrom. The guide frame is connected for rotation about a vertical axis relative to the primary carriage. A second motor means is provided for effecting this relative rotation about the vertical axis. A carriage support frame is associated with the guide frame and is adapted to travel upwardly and downwardly along the latter in a vertical path. Third motor means are connected between the carriage support frame and the main support carriage to effect the upward and downward movement of the carriage support frame.

Abstract: This relates to a method for facilitating the rapid and convenient installation and removal of the top section of a steelmaking vessel of a type that is rotatably mounted i.e. provided with trunnions. The method involves providing the top section with lifting brackets and also providing a hinge connection between the top section and the vessel body. During removal, the vessel body is rotated while lifting forces are applied to the brackets thereby causing the top section to be pivoted relative to the vessel body about the hinge. This process is carried out in such a way as to cause the top section to be moved outwardly over the operating platform following which the top section is gently lowered onto such platform. Following this, the top section is disconnected from the vessel body at the hinge and the necessary repairs to the top section are effected.

Abstract: An apparatus for hardening an elongated steel pipe by quenching the pipe with a cooling medium, particularly water, which apparatus comprises an elongated container dimensioned to receive a hot pipe to be hardened, means for supporting the hot pipe in a predetermined position in said container, a cooling medium nozzle, having a tip, for introducing cooling medium into the pipe through said tip, means for moving said nozzle between a retracted position in which the tip thereof is spaced from an end of said pipe to allow removal and insertion of said pipe with respect to said container and an expanded position in which said tip lies within said end of said pipe, inlet means for introducing cooling medium into said container so as to pass into said pipe through said tip of said nozzle located in said end of said pipe and also to pass around the outside surface of said pipe and an isolator means in fluid communication with said nozzle, movable to vary the relative proportion of volumes of cooling liquid entering

Abstract: The treatment, preferably sulphide modification of molten steel in the ladle, which treatment is effected by the addition of an agent which is normally highly reactive to oxygen, such as rare earth metal compounds, particularly rare earth metal silicides, thereto after a desired amount of deoxidation of the molten steel has taken place, preferably after substantially complete deoxidation of said molten steel in which addition agent is enclosed in at least one metal, preferably steel container suspended in the molten steel in the ladle such that at least that portion of the container containing the addition agent is disposed below the surface of the molten steel in the ladle whereby the addition agent is distributed into the molten steel on melting of the walls of the container, the thickness of the walls of the container being selected to provide the required delay in the introduction of the addition agent in said steel for the desired amount of deoxidation of the steel to have taken place in the ladle.