Abstract: The invention relates to a process for the production of hot rolled strip or heavy plates from stainless and refractory steels or from forgeable alloys on a nickel basis with a final thickness in the range of 5 to 60 mm by the production of a slab from monobloc casting or by continuous casting and heating the slab at a temperature above 1100.degree. C. followed by the hot rolling of the slab and accelerated cooling of the product rolled to the end thickness. The characterizing feature of the invention is that the heated slab is rolled without interruptions first to a maximum of 1/6 of its initial thickness, mainly by deformation passes in which the degree of deformation pass in the thickness direction is greater than the degrees of deformation shown by curve A in FIG. 1, in dependence on the surface temperature of the product.

Abstract: The invention comprises a process for the production of clad hot rolled strip. A steel slab as base material is cladded with a layer material of a corrosion-resistnt material. The slab is of a low-alloy steel having a carbon content of up to 0.25% by weight, the layer material preferably is stainless, more particularly a stainless austenitic steel or a wrought alloy on a nickel basis. The steel slab and the layer material are connected by explosive cladding, the resulting composite body being heated to rolling temperature and is subsequently rolled down to one quarter of the initial thickness with a high reduction of pass of phi greater than 0.10 and then rolled to final thickness of the hot rolled strip. The finish rolling temperature is in the range of 900.degree. C. The clad hot rolled strip is subjected to a cooling rate in the core of at least 8.degree. C./s to a cooling temperature of below 650.degree. C.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for automatically cutting and retrieving for inspection a sample length of coiled material from an inner tab region of a wound coil using a machine having a motorized roller apparatus supporting and driving the wound coil. A machining arm including a cutter is introduced within the wound coil for cutting a given radial thickness of the coiled material in the inner tab region. The machining arm is withdrawn, and a specimen extraction arm having substantially "C"-shaped elements is introduced within the wound coil. The "C"-shaped elements may each have a pointed limb, which in use serves to pry out the sample length of coiled material in the inner tab region, and break the sample length loose from the wound coil in the region of the cut provided by the cutter. The extraction arm is withdrawn when the retrieving elements bring the sample length of coiled material out for inspection.