Document qaqNVVmOB8MmE73Yw9RMNXoYR

Wadke^n HD September 26, 1966 Z. C. Lindstro* - DEQ TOtp OTPnan* 8UPBSSZ FEHEA.CE BLOCKS OOEPOBAHCB ------------ On 9-22, X net A. Balnksr, District Balsa Manager, Pittsburg District, E. Bland, Salsasan, Cleveland area, and 8* B. Wooley, Beseereh. Together ee traveled to the Shasroa Stoel Coup. sill at Tazral, Pennsylvania. Lee Wilson BngjnearlDg Ccapany,Ic. is installing rectangdlar-stnped. steal annealing furnaces of a nee design is a nee portion of the Sharreo Steel Corp. plonk. A total of sixteen furnaoes axe being built at this tine. JM order CI-8210, parts 1 through 8 calling for various sizes of 3mrerax furnace blocks ent to opacified rectangular desdasions, were required for this job. These shlpaonts eere aade in eight ports starting with Moth 30th end ending vith Jane 9, 1966. Approadnately $30,000 earth of Smperex is involved in the total aMpnanto. Oils nee type Leo Wilson fsrnaoe is approximately tan feet Ugh, fourteen feet vide, end fourteen feet deep. The entire front vail is a door vhlch can be raised overhead vertically. The vails are enteral with 12" by 18" Snperex furnace blocks 4-1/2" In thickness. The cntllng is insulated vith too layers of 12" by 12" flipersx furnace binds each 2" in thicTmcsa. Tbe aids veil blocks are retained by Beane of a stain less steal pin ever vhlch le driven a stainless steel dlse approartmtely 2* dlnncter Vhlch serves to keep the blocks firm falling out. The overhead blocks rest on square pieces of steel vhlch are approartmtely 4" square that support each block at the cor ners. Therefore, these celling blocks are lnid-in as a suspended celling tile uould be. Three furnaces had bent dried out end heated to the test temperature parlor to our visit. The one furanee Vhlch use In operation cn this day had gone through epproalately six production cycles of actually annealing Steal in roll fora after its original dry ing cut and test sequence. This furnace, it vas ruported*had been dried, at 400F for a total of 24 hours by bringing the temperature qp to 40QrF, running it for eight hours then shutting the heat off ever night. Tbe fOlloirlag awning the temperature vas brought UP to 400PP for the eight-hour period end then Shut off. The aaae procedure vas re peated on the third day to make mP the 24-hoar period at this teaparature. At this tins, no problem vere observed vith the Blares lining. SVbseqxieatly, this furnace had its teqpexature increased at 1009F trey tvo hours until the tom>as store vas approrluntely IOOOPP at vbleh tine the reducing atuosphere containing eproxi- mtely Tf> hydrogen, and Vith the reealning nitrogen at a 4-40 dew point vas added into the ftomaee. Using 1Mb radacing ataospherlc condition, the te^arature vas sriPse- qvenfcly brought up to VtOCPf before being shut down. After this period of firing.- the lunerfhee of every side vail block and ervexy ceiling block shored cracks Vhlch axe In a aouauhat randan pattern going both horizontally end vertically, forging approrlante rectangles of 3" by 4" or thereabouts. The eraeks in this furnace are less severe then those In the other tvo ftonaees Vhlch ve observed. Bie other tvo furnaces, however, differed slightly in their heating cycles in that the reducing otnosphexe vae Injected at roan taperature end retained in the furnace daring the entire heating cycles as described previously. The cracks observed in the faces of these blocks range freu hairline to appraiizr.tely l/l6" opening. The depth of these fractures varies frog about 1/8" to 1" into the bloek. The serfhee color of the block ranged fToa light to dark grey. This variation in eolor nay be doc to the variation In tbe anouat of silicate vhlch bad bean absorbed. Into the surface during the silicating trsatnent at the plant. Wo oat Hr. Bob Bill, Chief Engineer, Leo Wilson Eoginscrinc Co., cad 'll*. Bob Andrenjz, Lse Wilson Purchasing A^eirt. Mr. Hill advisod us tiat Lee Wilson rented JH's racoa- aandation as to bow iiie next furnace chovtld. be heated in ordo? to alinlnatc tho exact ing which b observed in the iAqperex. There ere at present, five jsore furnaces ready to be fired 19, one of which zszst be heated starting 9*26 at tbs latest. All of thsce five furnaces are required,- by Eharron steel Carp., to be ccepletcd by October 1. Mr. wn also advised us that Lee Wilson had uaod this sees type reducing atmosphere pre viously in J<-fVwrnt etyled furnaces which used JM Snpcrez furnace blocks with 3ilicatcd surfaces as n<ng Material without having this type daaage occur to the insulation. Bowevwr, Lae Wilson had never before constructed furnaces which bad exposed flat sur faces of individual Superex blocks as large as these side cell blocks In this fucnaca Since the product urns produced over several noarths period from may batches and since the seas type product has been used for several years by Lee Wilson far other style furnaces without any problem, it would appear as if the cause of the dosage to the lining had to oeeur froa ecosa other exterior action. This could possibly be a factor of the method of heating sp the furnace, it could possibly be a factor of the reduction atmosphere, or it could be sous other unknown feature at this tins. A check of the physical test data at the plant covering the pariod fros 3-1-66 through 6-9-66 indicates nothing which is out of line for Superex furnace block requiresaats. Shrinkage varied fros 1.2 to 1.6$. Density ranged frcca 219 to 24.8 lbs. per cubic foot and percent MBC varied from 1.8 to 8.3. One of the damaged blocks which was raapvad froa a furnace has already been sent to the Waukegan plant. Two additional blocks re newed firco this saaa furnace, as well as one piece of a Superex block which had sot been installed in the new furnace, were obtained at the job site and will be seat to S. Wooley at Research. In Addition, S. Wooley obtained scxepplngs froa the surface of the dark colored end of the light colored blocks for speetrographie analysis. It os agreed that S. Wooley ipULd discuss this situation with various people at the Research Center on 9-23 end advise A. Relnker of any possible suggestions which could be passed os to Kr. Bill at Lee Wilson* While there are anny tests which can be per forms! to see If ve could duplicate the conditions that wa observed, these tests would take a considerable period of time and could cot possibly provide Lea Wilson the answer that they desire for Monday, Septcaber 26th. I lave never before observed any cracking of this nature in Superoz furnace blocks and, so stated above, all who visited the site could only theorise ou possible conditions which aay have caused or contributed to the cracking in the Supores furnace blocks we observed. CBJ: jea E. Bland - Cleveland J. Campbell - Trgq S. Lena D. B. Gallagher File: 531