History
The history of EVRAZ VÍTKOVICE STEEL, a.s. started with the first heat of ductile iron, tapped in Rudolf's smelter, VÍTKOVICE's early predecessor, in 1830.
As steel production was developing, the company built its own rolling mills. The predecessors of the currently operated mills were commissioned in 1911.
1.1 Cost Center 220 – Steel Plant I
The construction of the predecessor of the present Steel Plant in EVRAZ VÍTKOVICE STEEL, popularly known as the New Steel Plant, started in 1908. The following table shows some of the major milestones in the development of the plant.
| 1913 |
First heat was tapped on February 27 from a 60 t tilting Talbot furnace. New Steel Plant furnaces: one 300 t mixer, Talbot furnace 200 t, 1 tilting furnace 60 t, 3 fixed SM furnaces 60 t each |
|---|---|
| 1929 |
New Steel Plant furnaces: 2 fixed SM furnaces 70 t each, 2 tilting Wellman furnaces 180 and 140 t, 4 Talbot furnaces 250 t each |
| 1956 | Ladles replaced with torpedo cars to move hot metal. |
| 1957 | New Steel Plant yearly output reaches 1 million tons of steel for the first time. |
| 1959-1967 | SM furnaces 1-4 converted to 70 t SM Maerz furnaces. |
| 1967-1970 | Talbot furnaces No. 5, 6, 7, 8 shut down and replaced with tilting tandem furnaces; TM 1 in 1967, TM 2 in 1968, and the 2x75 t TM 0 in 1970. |
| 1973 | New Steel Works' annual output hits the 1.5 million ton mark. |
| 1984 | Oxyvit K1 bottom-blowing 72 t converter furnace production launch. |
| 1987-1988 | SM furnaces No. 1, 2, 3 and Talbot furnaces No. 9 and 10 shut down. |
| 1987 |
Talbot furnace No. 9 converted to SM furnace No. 9. Talbot furnace No. 10 converted to SM furnace No. 10. |
| 1988 | Tandem 0 shut down. |
| 1991 | Oxyvit K2 bottom-blowing 72 t converter furnace production launch. |
| 1993 |
Tandem furnaces No. 1 and 2 shut down. K1 bottom-blowing converter general overhaul. |
| 1995 | Continuous caster commenced to produce slab: thickness 145, 180 and 250 mm; width 800 - 1580 mm. |
| 1991-1995 |
Added refining equipment: 1991 - homogenization 1993 - degassing unit 1994 - submerged lance 1995 - ladle furnace |
| 1995 |
New Steel Plant equipment: 2 bottom-blown oxygen converters 72 t each, refining equipment (ladle furnace, degassing unit, submerged lance, homogenization), continuous slab caster |
| 2003 | Termination of production of homogenization equipment |
| 2006 | Termination of DH station production |
| 2006 | Termination of production and liquidation of ingot lane |
| 2006 | Commencing of ISSM production |
1.2 Rolling Mills
Rolled products also have a long tradition in VÍTKOVICE. For example, VÍTKOVICE's first award product was steel rail produced by puddling which earned its manufacturer a silver medal from the 1839 Vienna exhibition.
Rolling mills emerged as the steelmaking continued expanding. Bellow are some historic data about VÍTKOVICE's current rolling mills:
- heavy section mill, since 1913
- billet mill 1, since 1913
- 3.5 Four-High mill, since 1971
The installations went through numerous revamps and general overhauls over the years. Some of them are enlisted further below.
1.2.1 Cost Center 230 – Sections Rolling Mill
| 1913 | Simultaneous launch of the blooming mill, rail mill, and billet mill as well as the finishing shops |
|---|---|
| 1956 | New HRW section straightener is built |
| 1963 | Billet mill II commenced following the heavy mill shutdown |
| 1964 | MONTBARD hyperbolic straightener commenced |
| 1965 | Walking beam cooling furnace is built |
| 1968 | Rail train receives the reducing mill, heating furnace is built |
| 1971 | Billet rolling mill revamp |
| 1975 | NORTON scalping machine commenced |
| 1978 | Major overhaul of heavy section mill, revamp of finishing shops |
| 1985 | CIRKOFLUX round billet inspection machine installed |
| 1989 | NORITAKE grinding machine completed |
| 1991 | Stand 3 and 4 upgrade to improve precision |
| 1992 | Stand 2 of the heavy section mill receives computer-controlled motor-driven roll adjustment; revamp of heating furnace |
| 1994 | Revamp of stand 4 with new pinion stand; stand 4 is now a universal stand with computer-controlled motor-driven roll adjustment; pile plank rolling mill upgraded for 600 mm wide products |
| 1997 |
Blooming mill I shutdown; billet mill becomes part of the heavy section train; new MESSER concast slab longitudinal flame cutter installed. Pile plank & lock matching line installed |
| 2000 | Heavy section rolling mill stand 4 receives new computer control |
| 2005 | Reconstruction of the TPT furnace |
| 2005 | Reconstruction of the TPT hall |
| 2005 | Commencing of roll turning hall operation |
1.2.2 Cost Center 260 – 3.5 Two-High Rolling Mill
| 1971 | 3.5 Two-High Rolling Mill commenced |
|---|---|
| 1975 | Automatic cutting line commenced |
| 1978 | Dispatch hall No. IV opened |
| 1984 | Straightening line with dispatch pocket commenced |
| 1986 | Stage-by-stage commencement of 3.5 Four-High mill, part II (cooling bed II, double-edge power shears, sheet stamping, walking beam furnace, cutting shears DN 2, two dispatch pockets |
| 1988 | Hall V - concast slab flame-cutting |
| 1989 | Ultrasound line commenced |
| 1992 | Length-cutting power shears commenced |
| 1995 | Connection between continuous caster and 3.5 Four-High mill hall V established |
| 1998-1999 | Major overhaul and upgrade of hot part of the 3.5 Four-High mill including new heating furnace and transversal crane runway |
| 2001 | Completion of 230bar pressure washer iron scale |
| 2003 | Completion of MORGOIL hydrostatic lubricating ballast |
| 2005 | Renovation of UZ lines |
| 2005 | Opening of new testing hall |
| 2006 | Termination and liquidation of 4.5 DUO rolling mill |
| 2006 | Launched bending hydraulic cylinder operatio |
| 2006 | Renovation of 3rd level KSUP rolling mill equipment hall |
The latest technical upgrades extended the rolling mills' capabilities:
- The 3.5 Four-High mill substantially improved geometrical quality of rolled plates, the mill can produce wedge-shaped plates, the mill reduced yield/loss ratio, the mill expanded the product range, etc.
- The heavy section mill can produce product range with better dimensional precision. At present the mill manufactures sheet piles with construction width of 600 mm.
