The new AQTF (Advanced Quench-and-Temper Facility) heat-treatment line supplied by SMS group to TimkenSteel Corporation at its Gambrinus Steel Plant in Canton, Ohio, U.S.A. has commenced full commercial production. Extensive testing was successfully completed in November 2017, and TimkenSteel issued the FAC (Final Acceptance Certificate) to SMS group.
The new line is able to treat 10 tons per hour of bars and heavy-walled tubes, up to 13 inches in diameter, precisely complying with specified values.
The compact line is characterized by a combination of induction preheaters and combustion furnaces for austenitizing and tempering processes. Subsequent cooling takes place in the newly developed Quenching Shell, an advanced OD/ID water sprayer, characterized by high-quench severity and, at the same time, great flexibility to adapt to changing process conditions.
During the commissioning period, a full array of intensive testing was carried out, beginning with the certification of the combustion heating furnaces in accordance to the SAE ASM2750-E standard, which calls for extremely demanding temperature homogeneity inside the furnace chamber (± 3 degrees Celsius for furnaces of Class 1), as a requirement for producing aerospace-quality material.
