Constellium awards contract to SMS group to modernize the exit end of aluminum hot strip mill at Ravenswood

SMS group has received an order from Constellium Rolled Products Ravenswood, LLC, USA, for the modernization of the 112 inch finishing mill exit end of its aluminum hot strip mill.

This modernization of the exit end covers the replacement of two “constant passline” coilers with a single fixed position coiler. The aluminum hot strip mill is a key production unit at Ravenswood and is essential for providing hot rolled coils for further processing by the cold rolling mills. This revamp will provide Constellium with improved equipment reliability and reduced equipment down time.

SMS group’s scope of supply includes a new deflector roll and pinch roll unit that are used with new strip threading guides to direct the strip from the exit end of the finishing mill to the coiler mandrel. The existing coil mandrel assembly with gearing will be disassembled from one of coilers that is being removed and reinstalled into a new coiler gearbox. The new coiler gearbox will be driven through the existing drive train of one of the existing coilers. An additional 500 HP motor is being added to the two existing 500 HP motors of this drive train to provide increased strip tension. An existing beltwrapper is being reinstalled into a new support structure. A new outboard bearing unit and snubber roll unit are also being supplied. The coil will be removed from the coiler mandrel with a new coil car and will be transported to a new coil OD bander. After banding the coil will be transported to the existing exit coil handling equipment.

SMS group has collaborated with Premier Automation to provide the automation of the new exit end equipment and to coordinate this automation with existing control systems.

Extensive equipment preassembly and factory acceptance testing has been undertaken by SMS group at their East Pittsburgh facility to perform as much equipment piping, cabling, functional testing and assembly checking as possible ahead of the equipment installation outage. The functional testing includes actuation of the equipment units from the hydraulic valve stands, which include on-board remote I/O units.

This contract is the continuation of a relationship between SMS group and Constellium that began with a study of the hot strip mill, continued with equipment engineering, and has now resulted in the equipment supply.

source: SMS group