Institute of Research of Iron & Steel, Sha-steel/Jiangsu Province Shagang established a provincial level technical center in 1998. In 2007, based on this center, it invested more than 500 million RMB of special funds for construction to build Institute of Research of Iron & Steel, Sha-steel/Jiangsu Province, with a R & D building of about 9000 square meters, as well as a pilot plant of about 7000 square meters. The world’s advanced-level technical facilities for experimental activities, as well as, analysis and detection equipments were purchased and installed for this institute. A technical committee of the institute is formed composed of 4 academicians from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 7 professors or professor-level senior engineers. It has introduced some domestic and abroad high level researchers to set up a research and development team so as to have formed a self-dependent innovation platform of the technology research and development for advanced steel materials and production process, containing a postdoctoral scientific research workstation, an academician workstation and a postgraduate workstation. It has established a good cooperative relationship with some research institutes, universities and colleges, such as China Iron and Steel Research Institute (CISRI), Southeast University, USTB (University of Science and Technology Beijing, NEU (Northeastern University), CQU (Chongqing University), DLUT (Dalian University of Technology), Suzhou University, etc. In September, 2007, it was certified as a national enterprise technical center, which is a key R & D Institute of Jiangsu Province. In October, 2012, it was identified as the Key High-Tech Enterprise of National Torch Plan. Shagang R & D Institute’s fields includes iron and steel production process and automation, intelligent control system, a comprehensive utilization of by-products of the metallurgical processes, development on advanced steel products, etc. The Institute possesses 11 research divisions, which are product oriented divisions for wire rod, plate, hot-rolled strip, cold-rolled steel and silicon steel product, and surface treatment, process technology oriented divisions for iron-making environment, steelmaking & continuous casting , steel rolling processing, welding, process modeling and measuring, and the division for automation and control. The Institute also has an office for planning and management, an analysis and testing laboratory as well as the pilot plant. Its main research analysis and testing equipments include: Electron Microprobe, Gleeble 3800 Thermal Simulation Test Machine, the Field Emission TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope), X-ray Diffractometer, X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer, Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer, Glow Spectrometer, Focused Ion Beam SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope), Fatigue Testing Machine. Shagang Research Institute possesses an advanced pilot plant equipped with 50+150Kg and 4.5T vacuum induction melting furnaces and Hot rolling mill (with accelerated cooling system, heating-furnace and heat treatment furnace), which can be used to simulate the actual production processes in a relatively simplified way. It is to optimize and verify the key technical parameters of production processes of steelmaking and steel rolling in a rather wide range. It serves as a high speed and efficient approach for product development and process optimization.
Physical and Chemical Testing Center The Shagang Physical and Chemical (P & C) Testing Center was certified as the National Laboratory (the certificate No. L1798) in 2004. It consist of five dedicated testing and analyzing laboratories i.e. mechanical testing, metallographic examination, chemical analysis, coke/coal testing, and environmental testing laboratory. At the moment, there are more than 300 sets of equipments for sample preparation and testing, whose original value is about 50 million RMB. The main analytical equipments have all been imported from abroad, such as X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer, Direct Reading Spectrometer, Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy, Infrared Carbon and Sulfur Analyzer, Gas Analyzer, Metallurgical Microscope, Image Analyzer, Scanning Electron Microscope, Energy Spectrum Analyzer, EBSD (electron backscattered diffraction) Analyzer, Vickers Microhardness Tester, Burawoy Optical Hardness Tester, Universal Material Testing Machine, Instrumented Drop Weight Impact Test High-energy Machine, etc. All these equipments enable performing all kinds of tests for the product quality properties .
Huaigang Technology Center Huaigang Technology Center, which was founded in 1998, was certified as the Postdoctoral Technology Innovation Center in Jiangsu Province in 2001; certified as the Provincial Technology Center in 2002; and established the National Postdoctoral Research Station approved by the Ministry of Personnel in 2006. Huaigang Technology Center implements the responsibility system by the Director. The post of Director of the Technology Center is taken concurrently by the deputy general manager of the company. This center consists of several functional departments, such as S & T Management Dept., Products Development Dept., Quality Inspection Dept., etc. so as to specialize in iron and steel making, technical modernization, and so on, such as new technology research and new product development. In recent years, Huaigang has developed an serial of special steel grades with a bright market prospect, such as grades for automotive industry, coal mining industry, high-speed and heavy duty train wheels and axles steel, grades for high-level steel balls, high-grade bearing steel, high-grade OCTG (Oil Country Tubular Goods), tube bloom used for high pressure boilers, as well as round bloom used for forging application, etc. And it has gradually formed five major brands of the products like spring steel, bearing steel, tube bloom steel, automotive steel, anchor chain steel. And it has cultivated six provincial famous brands of its products, such as “marine anchor chain round steel”, etc. Its seven products, like “high carbon chromium bearing steel”, etc. have been awarded for the Gold Cup Award of National Physical Product Quality, which have laid a good foundation for Huaigang to become one of the Top Three Domestic Special Steel Enterprises.
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| Technology Center of Shagang Co., Ltd. | Postdoctoral Workstation | 江苏省沙钢钢铁研究院 分析测试中心 | Institute of Research of Iron & Steel, Sha-steel/Jiangsu Province |
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| Technology Center of Huaigang Special Steel Co. Ltd. | 淮钢特钢有限公司 博士后工作站 | Engineering Technology Research Center of Huaigang Special Steel Co. | Key High-tech Enterprise of National Torch Plan |
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| Dual Beam SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) |
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| FEI SEM (Scanning Electron Microscop) from Holland |
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| Transmission Electron Microscope |
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| Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope |
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| SHIMADZU Electron Microprobe |
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| DSI Gleeble 3800 Thermal Simulation Machine |
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| Plasma Emission Spectrometer |
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| Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer |
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| Spectro Arcos Plasma Spectrometry Conference |
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| X-ray Diffractometer |
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| ERNST Burawoy Hardness Tester from Switzerland |
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| AKASHI Vickers Microhardness Tester from Japan |
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| OLYMPUS Metallurgical Microscope from Japan |
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| ALD 4.5t Vacuum Induction Melting Furnace |
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| Consarc 150kg Vacuum Induction Melting Furnace |
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| Experimental Hot Rolling Mill Unit |
Shagang has been consistent on new products’ research and development based on its own equipments and facilities to fulfill the market demands with a well organized, integrated system, which combines the “production-sales-research” into one body. At one hand, Shagang has pointedly developed some products which can quickly enter into the market and rapidly increase the profitability; at other hand, it has proactively done its new products’ R & D as reserve of product portfolio, in order to persistently boost Shagang’s core competitiveness. In recent five years, Shagang has totally developed up to 242 new products in varieties. And the Company’s various kinds of new products, especially all kinds of high-value-added products, have greatly improved the market shares of Shagang’s products, consequently, the sales revenue of the new products has reached more than 60 billion RMB ($10 billion). Of which, after we successfully developed X80 pipeline steel plate in 2008, Shagang has supplied more than 600,000 tons of various kinds of X80 pipeline steel plate to the important pipeline projects, such as the Second and Third Pipeline of West-East Natural Gas Transmission Projects, China- Central Asian pipeline projects, Sino-Russian pipeline projects, etc. Shagang has become the world wide largest plate supplier of X80 pipeline grade. In 2011 as a leading company Shagang successfully developed the ultra-high strength E690 grade in quenched and tempered condition for offshore engineering application. This type of supper thick heavy plate product is able to replace the normally imported similar product. Since then about 15,000 tons of various ultra-high strength plates have been produced and supplied for construction of offshore platforms.
Meanwhile, Shagang has constantly working on the improvements, research and development of steel production processes and has formed its unique production routes in China via combining the integrated production processes with mini-mill operation. This well balanced production philosophy in terms of long-flat product distribution enables a perfect approach for highly flexibility, low conversion cost and high efficiency. Also the following processes are well implemented, such as the production process of high-carbon wire rod for producing tire cord via billet; the production process of OHTP X80 plate; the One Ladle to the End Practice(hot metal transportation and processing between BF -BOF ); the hot charge and hot delivery process for rolling mills; the online softening technology of the cold heading grades for high strength fasteners; the high performance process for high-speed wire rod production lines; the inline rolling and slitting process for bar mill; the mini-mill production process for producing high quality wire rod for further processing applications via billet casting and continuous rolling, etc. The realization of all these technologies has not only increased the competitiveness of Shagang, but also has generated the great economic benefits and significant social consequences due to being promoted in the steel industry. Through its constant technological innovation, Shagang has owned a number of proprietary intellectual property rights, and applied for patents. In recent years, Shagang has made 210 patent applications, of which there are 154 items of invention patents; and there are 106 items of authorized patents, of which there are 44 items of invention patents.
Since 2013, the entire Shagang Group has developed more than 70 new products in all, of which Shagang Co. Ltd. has produced 28 new steel grades, like pipeline steel, low alloy and high strength steel (HSLA), welding wire, pickled strip coil, cold-rolled hard coil, non-oriented silicon steel, etc. such as newly developed series of wire rod grades as welding filler material (including welding wire used for X90/X100 pipeline grade submerged-arc welding, 600MPa grade welding wire H08D; welding wire SER80D used for EQ47/56 offshore engineering; SJ-1CM welding wire for CrMo grade); Ultra-high strength wire rod SWRS87A for pre-stressing strand, shipbuilding steel AH36-W for hitg heat input welding, high-strength cold forming grades (including S550MC,S700MC), series of pickled strip coil (including SG-Q235B, SG-SPHC, SG295Cr-P), series of cold-rolled hard strip coil (including SPCC, SPCD, SPCE), series of non-oriented silicon steel (50W1300, 50W800, 50W600). Huaigang Special Steel Company has developed 42 new grades, for railway application, forging applications , non-quenched and tempered steel, etc., such as newly developed AAR-D for train wheel, wagon axle steel LZ50, steel for railway switch HG25ZG, spring steel SAE9260, non-quenched and tempered steel F45MnVS, and other 10 kinds of products (including 3 kinds of railway steel, 1 kind of non-quenched and tempered steel, 4 kinds of forged steel , 1 kind of high precision spring steel, 1 kind of heat-resistant steel).
Typical new products developments in 2013 and their significance are as following:
Welding Wire Steels The successful development of Welding Wire Steel NGX90/100H used for welding the X90/X100 pipeline plate via submerged-arc welding practice has made Shagang to be the leader of this steel grade in China. The welding electrode made from this steel product has smoothly passed 3 rounds of welding assessments and pipe-manufacturing tests by the pipe manufacturer of Petro China. The successful development of wire rod SER80D for welding EQ47/56 grade plate of offshore engineering application declares that the high-grade marine welding wire can be produced in China, and it has broken through the limitations and constrains that high-grade marine steel can only be welded with flux cored electrode . This product has reduced the cost of construction of offshore platforms, while ensuring the welding quality.
The successful developments of wire rod H08C/H08D of 600Mpa submerged-arc welding application, and SJ-ICM welding wire for CrMo welding application have made Shagang’s alloyed welding wire product family more abundant. The page with a single product of welding application is overt. The downstream customers have good reflections on the wire rod of H08C/H08D and SJ-1CM welding wire with their excellent welding performances, and high competitiveness among domestic similar products.
High Heat Input Welding Shipbuilding Plate The high heat input welding shipbuilding plate AH36-W has been optimized in terms of chemistry engineering, as well as its strict steelmaking and rolling processes control. As a result, under the conditions of 150kJ/cm welding heat input, the steel plate can be ensured for the impact properties on its heat-affected zone. It has broken the limitation that the traditional AH36 can only bear 60kJ/cm welding heat input. With the successful development of this kind of steel, the efficiency of welding has improved while adopting high heat input, as well as improved the safety level of welded structure, while reducing the cost.
Cold Rolled Products In the first half of this year, Cold Rolling Main Plant has commissioned its pickling line and cold rolling mills which have started to produce the pickled coil and cold-rolled hard strip coil. Shagang started its new era with cold rolling product. The successful commissioning of cold rolled and annealed silicon steel products has altered the image that Shagang produces hot-rolled silicon steel produced only. It has made Shagang’s products more diversified, so as to open up new markets.
Grades for Railway Application The High-carbon micro-alloyed AAR-D grade for train wheel manufacturing developed by Huaigang Co., Ltd. is a great success which fills the blank of the bloom products used for high-graded export wheels, and greatly enriched the product varieties used for high-speed wheels of Huaigang Co., Ltd. and enhanced its market competitiveness. The LZ50 billet used for railway wagon axle has passed the examinations and verifications by GHC (Beijing Grand Honour Management System Certification Co., Ltd.) and the expert group from the Ministry of Railways in March, 2014. The trial-produced axle bloom meets the requirements of goods wagons of the Regulation [2008] No.114. At present, this kind of product has been delivered in limited quantity to Taiyuan Heavy Machinery Group Co. for further processing, Ltd. For this, Huaigang Co., Ltd. has first taken the lead in China to open up a new chapter using continuous casting process to produce wagon axle steel, whose process technology is at the leading domestic level and its market outlook is bright. Huaigang Co., Ltd. has been in cooperation with CISRI (Central Iron and Steel Research Institute, Ministry of Metallurgical Industry) in developing HG25ZG grade wide flat product which is new material used for railway switch with low aluminum bainit for Zhejiang Bell Company of China Comservice. After two trial tests, it has been succeeded in product manufacturing and process control, which filled in the blank of this field in China. Huaigang Co., Ltd. has mastered the metallurgical processes of low aluminum steel making, and large-sized flat steel rolling and forming practices.
Free-cutting Steel Grades and Heat Resistant Grades The successful developments free-cutting non-quenched & tempered steel F45MnVS grade of 800-900MPa and the Q235B-2 grade used for embedded steel fasteners of heat-resistant glass panel walls, have filled in another blank of free-cutting steel and heat-resistant steel products for Huaigang Co., Ltd., which have added to varieties of high-performance special steels for the Company.
Address: Jin feng.ZhangJiagang City.Jiangsu Post:215625 Tel:0512－58568800