SNCF must be rather worried that in the event of the UK leaving the EU it will all turn to 113A or even Bullhead. I wonder what the French is for "Can I have several thousand AS1 chairs please Mr Storeman?"
*Gallic shrug*
SNCF must be rather worried that in the event of the UK leaving the EU it will all turn to 113A or even Bullhead. I wonder what the French is for "Can I have several thousand AS1 chairs please Mr Storeman?"
It's two questions really.
1) Where is the steel made that is used to make Network Rail's rail products?
2) Where are the rails made?
I know that (2) used to be Corus Workington until closure then I believe it went to Scunthorpe.
It would be easy for the Government instruct its Agencies to specify UK manufacture in its contracts - but it never does.
I can't imagine SNCF buying a significant percentage of their rails from abroad...
I think the Scunthorpe steel for France is a large one-off contract for the Bordeaux LGV.
Hayange probably have their own source for regular SNCF renewals.
I guess there's a logical continuation to this thread, which is, from where is the iron ore and other elements sourced from?
Interstingly and slightly off topic the UK exports a huge amount of scrap to the far east. I know Southampton and Newport have large operations and I'm willing to bet there are many other (rail connected) sites too. If there is a welcome revision of this trend to divert this and produce more new steel from scrap then this should provide some railfreight business. Every town produces scrap metal - and scrap is ideal for rail.
Stars.
[Any object] = Hydrogen + Time
I'm sure I read elsewhere that scrap is not used for rail production. Would make sense quality-wise. Fine for razor blades or girders, but rails have to be of good quality...
I don't think there is anything wrong with scrap which has been through a complete melt process. What isn't good is re-roll where steel is heated up and then rolled out again a different section.
I don't think there is anything wrong with scrap which has been through a complete melt process. What isn't good is re-roll where steel is heated up and then rolled out again a different section.
Rail steel is made and used in such enormous quantities that I suspect that you have no choice but to start with "pure" steel.
<SNIP>
Update/correction: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elect...tages_of_electric_arc_furnace_for_steelmaking says that electric arc furnaces are used for steel making, with oxygen lances through the lid to take out the unwanted elements, but I would still imagine that for run-of-the-mill steel rail production you have to have a Scunthorpe-scale operation.
Its not quite like that, even for 'fresh' steel nowadays you melt down about 20-40% old scrap steel then add fresh ore and trace elements to it to get the desired chemical makeup. You don't need to physically take a sample to test you can do it simply by checking the reflection of light.
As a once upon a time metallurgist...
Copper, Tin, Antimony and Arsenic have lower oxygen affinities that Iron so they can't be removed by the conventional Pyrometallurgy methods e.g. Conventional Slag and Basic Oxygen Process.
Copper and Tin level in scrap (especially post consumer scrap) are rising due to the amount of electronics in goods so it is harder to use scrap in some applications (Copper content can be good for some steel application such as reinforcing bar and stainless).
Low copper steels for critical application can be produced e.g. rail wheels and axles* if you are very careful about careful scrap segregation and selection
*e.g. Lucchini in Italy use EAF with carefully selected scrap (e.g. post factory rather than post consumer) so off cuts of galvanised sheet (air ducts and building cladding off cuts).
Italian steel making in general has used EAF and scrap for a very long time.
Several methods have been used for Copper etc. removal in the molten state but all are difficult...
Oops was talking about Lucchini RS (still family owned that makes wheels and axles) not the bit they sold to Severstal that makes long products.Exactly right on the metallurgy stuff. High residuals are bad for many properties and so limited in the European rail specification.
Lucchini used BOS steel making until very recently (last year or so - at least for their rails). They have declared they are building EAF (Electric Arc Furnace) now instead to replace the now defunct blast furnaces which is due to start in a year or so I think. I'm not sure if Lucchini use EAF for other types of product though currently. Tata Steel use EAF for their speciality steels business in Rotherham currently.
Stars.
[Any object] = Hydrogen + Time
That gets us to iron, the rest needs a supernova or two....not really efficient is it?
t.
Ian
Oops was talking about Lucchini RS (still family owned that makes wheels and axles) not the bit they sold to Severstal that makes long products.
Have seen with mk1 eyeball (Wheel and axle factory at Lovere) that they use recycled & EAF for other products (e.g. not rail) about 5 years ago! Even saw what scrap was arriving in the lorries
Speciality - It just doesn't make sense not to use EAF...
Great minds...! See my post No. 37 earlier!
Scunthorpe hasthreefour blast furnaces so I'd be surprised if the rail is made from imported slab steel.
I have an uncle who works in the rail making part of the Scunthorpe steelworks. He is naturally worried the government will give the steel making contract to a foreign steel making company instead of British Steel.
Why? If anything the weak pound would make Scunthorpe even more competitive against overseas competitors.
When much of the raw material is imported?Why? If anything the weak pound would make Scunthorpe even more competitive against overseas competitors.
I have an uncle who works in the rail making part of the Scunthorpe steelworks. He is naturally worried the government will give the steel making contract to a foreign steel making company instead of British Steel.
it isnt in the governments gift to "give" anyone a steel making contract. There will be a competitive tender.
Consider who else could supply this rail especially after brexit and all the complications this will bring.