As a metallurgist, I am frequently asked for assistance on metallurgical issues relating to alloy products and selection. Here are the most frequently asked questions and a guide to answering these questions.

Novelis Inc. reaffirmed its full commitment to closing its proposed acquisition of Aleris Corp., a global supplier of rolled aluminum products, notwithstanding the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit to block the transaction. Atlanta, Ga.-based Novelis intends to vigorously defend against the DOJ's challenge, which it believes is without merit. Novelis announced in July 2018 that it signed a definitive agreement to acquire Cleveland, Ohio-based Aleris for approximately $2.6 billion. 

Primetals Technologies will supply BaoWu Aluminium Technology Ltd. (BaoWu) an aluminum hot-rolling mill for the production of heavy plate and strip. The mill will have an annual production capacity of 300,000 metric tons and will be capable of processing all aluminum alloys in groups 1xxx to 8xxx, including aluminum alloys for aerospace and automotive applications. Commissioning id scheduled for the second half of 2020.

BlueScope, an Australian steel producer, has approved the expansion of its North Star facility in Delta, Ohio. The company will add an additional 850,000 metric tons per year of steelmaking capacity. The $700 million project is expected to begin in mid-2022 with full ramp-up scheduled for approximately 18 months later. In addition, the expansion has potential future growth of a further 500,000 metric tons per year. According to BlueScope, the expansion offers long-term sustainable earnings growth from a high-quality asset.

Mueller Water Products Inc. plans to build a new, state-of-the-art foundry in Decatur, Ill. The facility will be one of the largest finished-goods brass foundries in the world. It will increase Mueller’s production capacity to meet current and future demands. Construction of the foundry, which is expected to employ up to 250, will begin in fall 2019. According to Mueller, the Decatur foundry is part of a multi-year project that will provide operational efficiencies that will directly benefit its customers, employees and the local community.

Specialized furnaces with integrated presses provide superior control of pressure and temperature to create better diffusion bonds when joining similar or dissimilar metals.

Zekelman Industries will build what it says will be the world’s largest continuous electric-resistance-welded (ERW) tube mill in Blytheville, Ark., on property adjacent to its existing Atlas Tube mill. The $150 million facility will be capable of producing sections as large as 28-inch OD x 1-inch wall. The company projects an additional 75 new employees will be hired to work in the mill, with start-up scheduled for September 2021. The mill will be capable of producing hollow structural sections (HSS) in square, rectangular and round shapes and in sizes ranging from 8 inches square x 0.750-inch wall to 22 inches square x 1-inch wall.

In our industry, many resources are available to find information on a variety of technologies. IHEA is one of those resources, and this induction article was graciously contributed by them.

AK Steel accepted an award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) High Performance Computing for Materials (HPC4Mtls) Program. Researchers from AK Steel plan to work in collaboration with DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop microstructure-based transformation models to predict austenite stability in high-strength steels in a project titled “Thermo-Mechanical Forming Process Development to Produce Tailored Strength Automotive Structural Components.” The collaboration will develop mathematical models that could enable the production of automotive components with properties tailored to meet the demanding performance requirements of the future, according to AK Steel.

Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI selected Sinton, Texas, as the site for its state-of-the-art, electric-arc-furnace (EAF) flat-roll steel mill. The planned facility is expected to have an annual production capacity of approximately 3 million tons, with the capability to produce the latest generation of advanced high-strength steel grades. The project will include value-added finishing lines, including a galvanizing line with an annual capacity of 550,000 tons. SDI, which will invest approximately $1.9 billion in the project, expects to begin construction in early 2020. The company expects to create approximately 600 well-paying jobs.