Panzhihua China has placed an order with SMS Siemag, Germany to supply two continuous annealing lines for the new works in Xichang, Sichuan province in the southwest of China.
On the lines a total of more than 1.7 million tonnes per year of high quality steel strips are to be produced for the automotive and electrical appliances industries.
The lines will commence operation at the end of 2013.
The two lines possess identical components and mainly differ according to the maximum widths and yield strengths of the steel strips to be produced.
Line No 1 is designed for strips with a gage of 0.35mm to 2.0mm and widths ranging from 870mm to 1,870mm. The process speed is 420 meters per minute while in the entry section 700 meters per minute can be attained and in the exit section up to 820 meters per minute. An annual capacity of 923,600 tonnes thus becomes possible.
Line No 2 is designed for strips with gauges from 0.3mm to 2.5mm and widths between 870mm and 1,620mm. The maximum process speed in this case is 430 meters per minute while in the entry and exit sections the same speeds as on the first line are attained. The line has a capacity of 816,800 tonnes per year.
In both lines, the product range embraces the grades CQ, DQ, DDQ, SEDDQ, CQ-HSS, DQ-HSS, DDQ-HSS, BH-HSS, DP, TRIP. Line No 1 will be producing strips with yield strengths up to 600 MPa. Line No 2 will be used for the production of stronger strips with yield strengths of 980 MPa being achievable.
The annealing process and the particularly high cooling rates enable the strain hardening from the rolling process to be reduced in the material and allow the high grade mechanical properties to be attained exactly as required.
Besides the design of the mechanical equipment and the fabrication of a number of special components, SMS Siemag supply scope includes the supervision of erection and commissioning. Drever International will be providing both lines with high capacity annealing furnaces with an integrated ultra fast cooling system. Cooling rates of SMS Siemag AG is a company of the SMS group which, under the roof of the SMS Holding GmbH, consists of a group of companies internationally active in plant construction and mechanical engineering for the steel and nonferrous metals industry.
Essential components of both lines are two payoff reels a welding machine, cleaning section, vertical entry accumulator, Drever furnace, vertical exit accumulator, six high skin pass stand, inspection accumulator, side trimmer, inspection stand, oiler, flying shear and two tension reels.
