HSRTC members toured California Steel Industries Inc. during their meeting on 30–31 January 2024.

The HSRTC met 30–31 January 2024, Fontana, Calif., USA.
Nucor-CSI (California Steel Industries Inc., a Nucor-JFE Co.) began the new year by hosting a two-day meeting with 14 members in attendance. Raymond Young agreed to step into the vice chair vacancy and volunteered for additional leadership positions which will be finalized at the HSRTC meeting at AISTech 2024.
As a reflection of the changing technological demands, the committee is continuing to upgrade the wording on the Call for Papers which invites hot sheet–specific abstracts for AISTech 2025.
Information from conference planning co-chairs Nancy Hake and Keegan Wright indicated the four-day training at Corpus Christi, Texas, is in good shape, and reminded everyone that this course also includes a tour of the Steel Dynamics plant in Sinton, Texas. For AISTech 2024, five full technical sessions (two held jointly with Energy & Utilities Technology Committee) have been organized by papers chair Jorge Fernandez. The decarburization discussion on topics of specific interest to hot rolling technology was guided by decarbonization liaison Rob Brunelli. Nucor-CSI rolling mill manager Mehmet Ataman gave the group a technical overview of the facility.

The HSRTC met 29–30 August 2023, Hamilton, Ont., Canada
The Hot Sheet Rolling Committee met north of the border for a meeting at the invitation of Arcelor­Mittal Dofasco G.P. in Hamilton, Ont., Canada. HSRTC chair Rajat Bathla called the meeting to order, and 24 attendees collectively joined in activity and discussion. The HSRTC roster sits at 104 members, including 18 new members. Points of discussion for the 2023 AIST Leadership Conference were noted, and a draft document preparing for the next published Hot Strip Mill Roundup was circulated for discussion and corrections.
The group heard a report from HSRTC digitalization liaison David Colbert ahead of the Digitalization Subcommittee’s upcoming meeting. Next, the committee enjoyed a technical presentation on Linde’s oxy-fuel experiences in the reheat furnace by Hamzah Alshawarghi.
A robust discussion on abstracts for AISTech 2024 was led by HSRTC papers chair Jorge Fernandez, with suggestions for joint session topics with two other committees. A list of volunteers for the annual Best Paper Award grading subcommittee was developed. The group also reviewed updated wording of the AISTech 2025 Call for Papers to invite Hot Sheet-specific abstracts.
The following day, attendees enjoyed two plant tours. The first tour commenced with a presentation outlining the cooling bed and downcoiler project upgrade by Andrei Ianos, who then led the tour group through ArcelorMittal Dofasco’s 1,725-mm mill. After a lunch provided by the host plants, the group toured the headquarters and manufacturing site of the KELK division of the Vishay Precision Group. The committee enjoyed an impressive look at the precision crafting of electronic equipment capable of operating successfully in the mill environment.

1. Hot Sheet Rolling Technology Committee chair Rajat Bathla (right) presented a plaque of appreciation to Chantal Ullyett (left) for hosting the HSRTC’s tour of ArcelorMittal Dofasco G.P. 2. Peter Morrell (left) received a thank-you plaque from HSRTC papers chair Jorge Fernandez (right) for hosting the committee’s visit to Vishay Precision Group KELK Division.

Jorge Fernandez (right) presented Rajat Bathla (left) with the HSRTC service plaque.

The HSRTC met 9 May 2023, Detroit, MI, USA.
The following officers were elected:

• Chair: Rajat Bathla - Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor

• Vice Chair: Ashish Kumar Singh - Nucor Steel–Arkansas

• Papers Chair: Jorge Fernandez - AMI International S. de R.L. de C.V.

• Education Co-Chairs: Nancy Hake - NLMK Indiana, and Keegan Wright - Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Southwest-Sinton Division

• Roundup Chair: David Rosburg - SMS group Inc.

• Young Professional Chair: Anthony Pupillo - Nucor Steel-Indiana

• Digitalization Liaison: David Colbert - ArcelorMittal Dofasco G.P.

• Decarbonization Liaison: Robert Brunelli - TMEIC Corp. Americas

The HSRTC and PTTC met jointly  25–26 January 2023, Corpus Christi, Texas, USA.
The HSRTC and PTTC met in Texas for their spring 2023 joint meeting. The turnout was especially high as both committees brought members who were interested in touring the Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group South-west-Sinton Division facility. The meeting spanned two days to take advantage of walking the mill while production was running.
To prepare for AISTech 2023, both committees reported on their planned presentations and described the individual sessions, while session chair volunteers were reminded of the upcoming duties before arriving in Detroit. The HSRTC and PTTC also solicited nominations for their 2023–2024 committee officers, who be elected at AISTech 2023 in De-troit, Mich., USA.
A report from HSRTC decarbonization liaison Rob Brunelli and PTTC decarbonization liaison Frank Baum-gardner followed, with reporting from both committees on individual observations at their employers, and what AIST is providing through the Decarbonization Task Force. The group noted that the Decarbonization 101 webinar held in De-cember 2022 was a great source of content on this topic and that AIST members can visit AIST.org to watch a replay of the webinar for free. The committees also discussed the Decarbonization 102 webinar scheduled for 30 March 2023 and a third webinar tentatively scheduled for April. 
Presentations:

•  “AI-Based Process Control for the Steel Industry,” by Michael Peintinger, Smart Steel Technologies GmbH. “Electrification of the Reheat Furnace,” by David Cernava, Inductotherm Corp.

Roundtable discussion on recent CSP mill start-up experiences led by Bill Seres, Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Southwest-Sinton Division.

GTC chair Eric Almquist (right) presented a plaque of appreciation to Jeff Roach (left) for hosting the committee’s plant tour of Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Columbus Division on 17 February 2023.

The HSRTC met 25 October 2022, virtual.
Rajat Bathla led an in-depth safety discussion as well as a recap of the fall training conference.
Papers chair Jorge Fernandez reviewed the four sessions being developed for AISTech 2023. Session chair volunteers were solicited.
A new digitalization liaison was elected, and all welcomed David Colbert to the role.
Decarbonization liaison Rob Brunelli led a discussion on decarbonization relevant to hot rolling.
In closing the morning portion of the meeting, Bathla noted that the HSRTC is looking forward to continuing a lockout/tagout safety discussion first started at AISTech 2022 about equipment characteristics as new facilities come on-line. In the afternoon, Chris Kristock of the American Iron and Steel Institute gave a comprehensive look at the technical progress of the industry as a whole in a presentation titled “Steel Industry Market Response.”

Rajat Bathla (right) presented Robert Brunelli (left) with  the HSRTC service plaque.

The HSRTC met 17 May 2022, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
The following officers were elected:

• Chair and Digital Transformation Liaison: Rajat Bathla  /  Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor

• Vice Chair: Ashish Kumar Singh  /  Nucor Steel–Arkansas

• Papers Chair and Young Professional Chair: Jorge Fernandez  /  AMI International S. de R.L. de C.V.

• Education Chair: Nancy Hake  /  NLMK Indiana

• Roundup Chair: David Rosburg  /  SMS group Inc.

• Decarbonization Liaison: Robert Brunelli  /  TMEIC Corp. Americas

The HSRTC met 29 March 2022, virtual meeting
HSRTC chair Rob Brunelli welcomed the group and led the virtual meeting. The attendees discussed locations for their next meeting and reviewed the latest Steel Industry Fatalities report. Committee officer rotation was also discussed.
HSRTC papers chair Ashish Singh reviewed the committee’s sessions for AISTech 2022. The Hot Sheet Rolling Best Paper Award was announced and will be presented to the winners at AISTech 2022.
Next, HSRTC education chair Nancy Hake discussed the upcoming Hot Sheet and Plate Rolling Fundamentals — Practical Training Seminar scheduled for 19–22 September 2022 in Starkville, Miss., USA, with tours of Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa Inc. and Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Columbus Division. Hake invited committee members to volunteer as session chairs for the seminar.
Lastly, the group discussed the new Decarbonization Subcommittee. Brunelli volunteered to serve as the committee’s liaison.
Presentations: 

•  “Improve Hot Mill Surface Inspection Defect Classification by Adding an AI-Based Classifier,” by Greg Gutmann, ISRA Vision PARSYTEC Inc.

•  “Head End Turn Up and Ski Avoidance at Hot Roughing Mill,” by Rajat Bathla, Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor, and Nicholas Legrand, ArcelorMittal.

•  “Fundamentals of Alloy and Processing Design for the Successful Production of Ferritic, TiC-Strengthened Ultrahigh-Strength 100 ksi (Yield Strength) Hot-Rolled Steel Through a Flex Mill,” by Chirag Mahimkar, Big River Steel.

•  “Real-Time Hot Mill Data Integration for AI-Based Process Optimization,” by Michael Peintinger, Smart Steel Technologies.

The HSRTC and RTC met 27 October 2021, Warrendale, Pa., USA
During the last week of October, the RTC and HSRTC held separate business meetings and then combined into a joint technical presentation session at AIST headquarters. RTC chair Chris Hrizo welcomed 20 in-person attendees and seven virtual attendees while HSRTC chair Rob Brunelli welcomed 13 in-person attendees and six virtual attendees.

Sean McHugh (left) presented Michael Chociej Jr. (right) with a plaque of appreciation for hosting the RTC’s tour of Herkules North America.

The HSRTC has begun planning the Hot Sheet and Plate Rolling Fundamentals — Practical Training Seminar, which is scheduled for the fall of 2022. Nancy Hake, HSRTC education chair, is leading the effort to organize this seminar. The Plate Rolling Technology Committee has a similar education subcommittee led by Qiulin Yu to organize the Plate portion of the seminar. Papers chair Ashish Singh outlined abstracts for three sessions at AISTech 2022.
The RTC is continuing to produce a strong list of technology-focused content highlighting both safety and digitalization in  North American roll shops. Papers chair Jochen Münker is arranging the AISTech 2022 abstracts. The RTC’s programming will include a panel discussion on the topic of grinder rebuild and new installation of grinders and service.
Young Professionals Subcommittee chairs Sean McHugh and Jorge Fernandez described the new activities that have been rolled out during the pandemic and upcoming programs expected before AISTech.
In the afternoon, members enjoyed technical presentations from Michael Chociej Jr., Herkules North America; Reginald Snyder, TMEIC Corp. Americas; Dave Mann, Innerspec Technologies Inc.; and Rajat Bathla, Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor.
The two Technology Committees wrapped up their fall meeting the following day with tours of Cleveland-Cliffs Butler Works and Herkules North America.
 

Rob Brunelli (left) and Lydia Stromei (right) presented Bob Ladesic (center) with a plaque of appreciation for hosting a tour of Cleveland-Cliffs Butler Works for the HSRTC and RTC.

William Seres (right) presented Robert Brunelli (left) with the HSRTC service plaque at AISTech 2021.

The HSRTC met 30 June 2021, Nashville, TN USA.
The following officers were elected:

• Chair: Robert Brunelli, TMEIC Corp. Americas

• Vice Chair and Digital Transformation Liaison: Rajat Bathla, Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor

• Papers Chair: Ashish Kumar Singh, Nucor Steel–Arkansas

• Education Chair: Nancy Hake, NLMK Indiana

• Roundup Chair: David Rosburg, SMS group Inc.

• Young Professional Chair: Jorge Fernandez, AMI International S. de R.L. de C.V.

The HSRTC held a virtual meeting 19 January 2021.
HSRTC chair Rob Brunelli brought the committee’s virtual meeting to order, with a large set of members attending from around the globe.
Education chair Nancy Hake began the meeting with a preview of the upcoming Hot Sheet and Plate Rolling Fundamentals — A Practical Training Seminar, which was scheduled for 8–11 February 2021. This seminar was presented exclusively in a virtual format.
Ashish Singh, HSRTC papers chair, gave an overview of the committee’s plans for AISTech 2021. The committee is sponsoring four separate technical sessions. Members were encouraged to volunteer for session chair positions.
The HSRTC then received an update on AIST’s Young Professional activities. The committee gave special thanks to Jorge Fernandez for reaching out to young professional members on the HSRTC and encouraging their participation in AIST and AIST Foundation programs.
HSRTC vice chair and digitalization liaison Rajat Bathla then spoke on the AIST Digital Transformation Subcommittee’s recent activities. The subcommittee is currently developing a new series of “Digitalization Applications 101” articles that will be available through the AIST website. (The first article of this series is published on pages 30–32 of this issue of Iron & Steel Technology.) Additionally, a Digital Transformation introductory training course is currently planned for fall 2021. Bathla encouraged attendees to suggest topics in digital transformation that represent the committee’s technical interests to share with the subcommittee.
The HSRTC heard a report on the 2020 AIST North American Hot Strip Mill Roundup, which was published in the November 2020 edition of Iron & Steel Technology. The committee extended its thanks to Roundup chair David Rosburg for his work on the 2020 update, which included new input from a large number of participating producer mills.
The committee finished up their meeting with a discussion on the latest Steel Industry Fatalities report.

The HSRTC held a virtual meeting 26 August 2020.
Discussions continued from the previous virtual meeting held on Thursday, 30 April. This committee meeting drew international attendees from Mexico and Germany.
Led by chair Rob Brunelli, the HSRTC received nominations for several open positions, including vice chair, Young Professional subcommittee chair and papers chair.
With membership topping more than 200 industry members, HSRTC membership continues to increase.
In keeping with the unprecedented changes involving AISTech 2020, the HSRTC will be providing webinars whereby select authors will present their material from AISTech 2020. The HSRTC has decided not to select a best paper award for 2021; instead, the 2020 recipient will be recognized at AISTech 2021.
Discussion then focused on the 2020 Steel Industry Fatalities report. Mobile equipment is still the largest cause of fatalities.
Digitalization liaison Rajat Bathla conducted an in-meeting survey to group attendees’ opinions into digitalization-related priorities over the short and long term.
Roundup chair David Rosburg gave an overview of the revamped Hot Strip Mill Roundup. It represents the most comprehensive upgrade to the document in the last five years.
Education chair Nancy Hake reported on the Hot Rolling Fundamentals Training Conference, which will be held starting 7 February 2021 in a location near Starkville, Miss., or Tuscaloosa, Ala., USA.

The HSRTC held a virtual meeting 30 April 2020.
The HSRTC began their meeting with a review of their mission statement as well as the Call for Papers for AISTech 2021.
The HSRTC then elected their 2020–2021 committee officers. The new HSRTC officers are:

• • Chair: Robert Brunelli, TMEIC.

• • Papers chair and digitalization liaison: Rajat Bathla, ArcelorMittal USA.

• • Education chair: Nancy Hake, NLMK Indiana.

• • Roundup chair: David Rosburg, Primetals Technologies USA LLC.

The HSRTC wrapped up its videoconference by going over its upcoming meeting schedule and brainstorming locations for its fall 2020 meeting.

The HSRTC met 12–13 February 2020, Golden, Colo., USA.
The HSRTC met in Golden, Colo., at the Colorado School of Mines for a tour of the metallurgy department.
Presentations:

• “Influence of Hot Rolling Condition on Precipitation and Segregation of Microalloy Elements in Low-Carbon Plate Steel,” by Trevor Ballard, student at Colorado School of Mines.

• “Development of Quenching and Partitioning Plate Steel Intended for Wear and Toughness” Travis Marsh, student at Colorado School of Mines.

These presentations provided a look at new technology being developed at the academic level, and brought thoughtful questions from committee members comparing it to the operational experiences of today’s mills.
The HSRTC then drove north the next day to visit the National Institute for Science and Technology laboratory in Boulder, Colo. This site is known for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather prediction, and is the place that sends time synchronization signals for use throughout the U.S. This is also the home of the weights and measures certification program that covers Charpy V-block mechanical testing machinery. It is the only site in the U.S. that oversees testing/measuring/maintaining accuracy against known ASTM and ISO standards for this equipment.
The visit included small-scale testing and the actual Charpy testing certification laboratory. Also included in the tour was massive equipment assembled for full-scale mechanical testing in both pure stretch and cyclical torsional loading conditions. The group also saw how the ongoing study of hydrogen is predicting the way it affects the integrity of materials.
During the committee’s regular business meeting, Bill Remley summarized the four HSRTC technical paper sessions that are being planned for AISTech.
Ken Hutter and Chuck Hayes highlighted the successful Hot Rolling Fundamentals training conference and indicated there was much enthusiasm for the current course format and content, and that another course would be recommended within the next year.
Bill Seres reported on the construction of Steel Dynamics Inc.’s new plant in Sinton, Texas, USA.
Bill Remley reviewed U. S. Steel – Great Lakes Works sampling methods, with a few comments relative to U. S. Steel’s three-prong focus (Gary Works, the new Endless Strip Production mill at Mon Valley Works, and the work at Fairfield Tubular melting facilities).
Chad Gentry gave a systemwide overview of Nucor facilities.

The HSRTC met in Golden, Colo., USA, at the Colorado School of Mines for a tour of the metallurgy department and student presentations.
Bill Seres (left) presented a plaque of appreciation to John Perkins (right), director — applied chemicals and materials division, NIST, for hosting the HSRTC’s tour of the NIST Laboratory in Boulder, Colo., USA.

The HSRTC met 26–27 September 2019, Birmingham, Ala., USA. 
Bill Remley, papers chair, briefly summarized the topics of the papers and grading criteria for the committee’s Best Paper award. The winner of the 2020 award was chosen and will be presented at AISTech 2020.
Remley led the discussion on the HSRTC’s AISTech 2020 technical session development. He grouped the 17 abstracts that had been submitted at the time into the following categories: Emerging Technology; Product Quality and Improvement – Geometry/ Stability; and Product Quality and Improvement – Properties/Surface.
The instructions for papers chair and session chair were reviewed, and volunteers were taken for session chair.
The group departed mid-morning for a tour of Nucor Tubular Products. The committee’s meeting continued on-site.
Nancy Hake, Technology Training Conference chair, gave an update on Hot Sheet Rolling Fundamentals — A Practical Training Seminar. The seminar was held 20–24 October in Michigan City, Ind., USA.
Discussion then focused on the 2020 Hot Sheet Rolling European Study Tour, to be held next July.

Presentations:

• “Hot Mill Sealing Solutions and Innovations,” by Len Vallone, Garlock Klozure.

• “Energy Sector and the Growing Need for Steel Products,” by David Johnson, AIST Pipe & Tube Committee chair, Paragon Industries Inc.

Bill Seres (left) presented a plaque of appreciation to Barney Hatten (right) of Nucor Tubular Products for hosting the HSRTC’s tour.

The HSRTC met 7 May 2019, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
The following officers were elected:

Chair: William Seres, Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Columbus Division

Vice chair: Robert Brunelli, TMEIC

Papers co-chairs: Rajat Bathla, ArcelorMittal USA, and Bill Remley, United States Steel Corporation

Technology Training Conference chair: Nancy Hake, NLMK Indiana

Program co-chairs: Amy Beard, Quaker Chemical Corp., and Robert Brunelli, TMEIC

The HSRTC met 12–13 February 2019, Charleston, S.C., USA.
A more thorough review of the Hot Strip Mill Roundup was tabled to the AISTech meeting in May, where volunteers will be solicited to work on it over the summer.
The winner of the Hot Sheet Rolling Best Paper Award was selected. The award will be presented during AISTech 2019 in Pittsburgh. The selection process for the award went through a rewrite this year, and the procedure is now posted in the Members Only section of AIST.org.  
The planning for Hot Sheet and Plate Rolling Fundamentals — Practical Training Seminars was reviewed. The seminar will be held 20–24 October 2019 in the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, Ind., USA, and will feature a combined tour of active plate and hot strip mills that are located at ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor.
A discussion took place concerning the AIST Digital Transformation Task Force and the inaugural Digital Transformation Forum for the Steel Industry, which was held in March. Robert Brunelli volunteered to represent the HSRTC at the Digital Transformation Task Force meeting in Pittsburgh during AISTech.  
Nominations were taken for the election of HSRTC officers for the 2019–2020 term.
Each producer attendee brought a PowerPoint presentation covering a variety of topics such as safety, announced capital expenditure projects and maintenance/reliability issues.
Amy Beard led a discussion on International Study Tour planning. The targeted dates are 2–6 December 2019. The tentative agenda includes stops in Brussels, Belgium; Düsseldorf, Germany; and Milan, Italy.

Bill Seres (left) presented Dave Hamblin (right) with a plaque of appreciation for hosting the HSRTC’s tour of Nucor Steel–Berkeley during its meeting on 12–13 February.

The HSRTC and RTC met 25–26 September 2018, Hammond, IN, USA
The two-day joint meeting was held at Purdue University Northwest. The meeting included tours of the 80-Inch Hot Strip Mill at ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor and ANDRITZ Herr-Voss Stamco Inc. The tour of ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor also included its roll shop. The six-person committee that planned this joint meeting received a hearty thank-you from the attendees.
At the HSRTC meeting, Nancy Hake gave an overview of Hot Sheet and Plate Rolling Fundamentals — Practical Training Seminars, which was held in Mobile, Ala., USA, 25 February–1 March 2018. Due to industry demand, this training will be offered every 18 months instead of every 24 months. The next installment is being planned for the Hammond, Ind., USA, area in October 2019. The planning committee for this conference is working to eliminate topic overlap, expand the reliability section, and include more videos and visuals in the presentations.
There was discussion on the Hot Sheet Rolling Best Paper Award. A motion was recently passed that allows a paper presented under a different Technology Committee to be eligible for the Hot Sheet Rolling Best Paper Award, providing the paper is relevant to the HSRTC. Seven papers are under consideration for the award this year. Volunteers were taken for the award selection committee.
At the RTC’s meeting, Raphael Steinhagen, RTC papers chair, reviewed the AISTech 2019 abstracts being selected for a stand-alone RTC session. He also collected names of session chair volunteers. He then touched on the Rolls Technology Best Paper Award, which will be presented at AISTech 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pa., USA.
Presentations were given by the following attendees:

• Nancy Hake, NLMK Indiana.

• Heather Creely, Nucor Steel–Indiana.

• Jason Reiner, Nucor Steel–Arkansas.

• Max Blunt and Mehul Patel, ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor.

• Bill Seres, Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Columbus Division.

• Dave Hamblin, Nucor Steel–Berkeley.

• Bill Remley, U. S. Steel – Great Lakes.

• Bobby Hines, Nucor Steel Gallatin.

•  Ron Umbright, Anchor Seals.

• Ryan Grundza, SMS Millcraft.

• Gary Swinford, Chrome Deposit Corp.

A roundtable discussion was held, moderated by Chris Hrizo, RTC vice chair from WHEMCO. Isaac Garcia, University of Pittsburgh; Ian Ward, Primetals Technologies, Konstantin Redkin, WHEMCO; and Homero Ortiz, ArcelorMittal USA, participated in the panel.
Presenters highlighted their roles in the production of advanced high-strength steel. The major theme from the discussion is that producers are pushing the limits and capabilities of their mills, most of which were built in the 1950s and 1960s. There is an urgent need for greater communication between all parties.
In addition to the tours on the second day, the group enjoyed student presentations, with hands-on demonstrations in the Purdue University Northwest Center for Innovation Through Visualization and Simulation.

1. Heather Creely (left) presented a plaque of appreciation to Bill Donaldson (right), plant manager, ANDRITZ Herr-Voss Stamco Inc. 2. Heather Creely (left) presented a plaque of appreciation to Chenn Zhou (right), director, Center for Innovation Through Visualization and Simulation, Purdue University Northwest.

Heather Creely (left) and Bill Seres (right) presented a plaque of appreciation to Brian Warnock (center), division manager, 80-Inch Hot Strip Mill at ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor (East).

James Murphy (left) presented William Seres (right) with the HSRTC service plaque at AISTech 2018.

The HSRTC met 8 May 2018, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
The following officers were elected:

• Chair: William Seres, Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Columbus Division

• Vice chair: Robert Brunelli, TMEIC

• Papers chair: Keegan Wright, Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Columbus Division

• Education chair: Nancy Hake, Falk-PLI

• Program co-chairs: Amy Beard, Quaker Chemical Corp., and Robert Brunelli, TMEIC

The HSRTC and SHTC met 24–25 January 2018, Memphis, Tenn., USA.
The HSRTC and SHTC met separately the morning of 24 January. The HSRTC had 33 members in attendance, with producer members from Steel Dynamics Inc., ArcelorMittal, Nucor and the meeting’s host mill, Big River Steel.
Nominations for leaders of the HSRTC were received for the 2018–2019 term. Formal election will take place during the committee’s next meeting at AISTech.
Meeting attendance was discussed; particularly, how to engage more producers. Joint meetings, like this one, are being received with great enthusiasm.
A lengthy discussion on meeting sites was held. There is interest within the group to see an integrated mill with ironmaking capabilities, as well as visiting end users that are consuming hot strip products.
Bill Seres, HSRTC chair, encouraged a set format for each meeting to allow for producers to present on specific topics to ensure the same type of discussion at every meeting, and for suppliers to have time to develop effective and non-commercial presentations.
The HSRTC reviewed the technical program for AISTech 2018. The committee has arranged four sessions. Session chairs took time to review the session layout.
There was much interest regarding the Hot Sheet and Plate Rolling Fundamentals — Practical Training Seminars, which were held 25 February–1 March 2018 in Mobile, Ala., USA. Extra work has been done this year to update and blend a common look throughout all the presentations.
The group discussed the AIST Process Benchmarker^® (APB^®) with help from past HSRTC chair and current Board of Directors representative, David Hamblin. Lead participation continues to be demonstrated by the ironmaking group. At least one idea was to consider integrating some form of published Bureau of Labor Statistics/International Trade Administration data, which may increase the APB value.
Potential safety case study topics were discussed, including the start-ups of SeverCorr and Big River Steel. Mobile equipment safety and the use of ultrasonic sensors was brought up during this discussion. Many new vehicles include a “parking assist” feature based on ultrasonic sensors. The potential exists to retrofit mobile equipment with an ultrasonic alert system.
The SHTC had 13 members in attendance, five of which were producers. The 2017 Steel Industry Fatalities were reviewed.
Justin Hoover, SHTC papers chair, finalized the committee’s AISTech 2018 technical sessions. The SHTC has scheduled two sessions, for a total of eight papers. The roles of session chair and papers chair were reviewed.
Nominations were taken for SHTC officers for the 2018–2019 term.
The 2020 AIME intra-societal safety conference was discussed. This is a joint-association Safety Conference between AIST; The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS); the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME); and the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) is planned for June 2020 in Philadelphia, Pa., USA. The subcommittee representing AIST includes Brad Bray and Malcom Dunbar.
The SHTC mission statement will be revised to reflect and encourage producer participation. A subcommittee has been formed to accomplish this revision.
The criteria for the AIST Safety and Health Innovation Award were reviewed. As of press time, no selection has been made for AISTech 2018. However, the 2018 AIST Don B. Daily Award will be presented during the SHTC meeting at AISTech 2018.
Also discussed were Safety First articles for 2018. SHTC members were encouraged to write an article or reach out to a co-worker to write an article.
The Fall 2018 SHTC meeting location was discussed. A possible joint meeting with another Technology Committee will be held 12–13 October 2018 (tentative).
After lunch, the committees met together for the following technical presentations and discussions:

• A presentation on 2017 steel industry fatalities by Malcom Dunbar, SHTC chair.

• “Big River Steel Safety,” by Bob Carter.

• “Arc Flash — The Impact of Your Electrical System Maintenance and Testing on Arc Flash,” by Keith Mullen, Leidos.

• “SDI Columbus Hot Mill Safety,” by Robbie Brock, Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Columbus Division.

The next day, attendees were given a tour of Big River Steel, where they spent considerable time in the cold rolling and finishing end of operations.

Bob Carter (center), Big River Steel safety manager, accepted a plaque of appreciation from Bill Seres (right), HSRTC chair, and Malcom Dunbar (left), SHTC chair.

The HSRTC met 20–21 September 2017, Ypsilanti, Mich., USA. 
Rob Brunelli discussed the AISTech 2018 session layout with the group and was able to demonstrate the new Hubb abstract management system that is being used to help facilitate author submissions and session building. The role of session chair was also discussed and volunteers stepped up to fill this position.
The subcommittee was announced for choosing the 2018 Hot Sheet Rolling Best Paper Award recipient.
The HSRTC also discussed the upcoming Hot Sheet and Plate Rolling Fundamentals course, which will be held 25 February–1 March 2018 in Mobile, Ala., USA.
A presentation from Hyson Metal Forming Solutions was given in the afternoon, titled “Servo Controlled Force in Forming High-Strength Steels.” This prepped the group for an extensive discussion on the challenges faced with hot rolling of advanced high-strength steels. The core of the discussion was around pushing maximum roll force, ways of maintaining strip temperature before the finishing mill, surface defects and scale issues, and post-rolling operations including, coiler upgrades and sampling stations.
The meeting concluded the next day with a tour of the Ford Woodhaven automotive stamping facility.

Bill Seres (left) presented a plaque at Ford Woodhaven in appreciation for hosting a tour for the HSRTC.

	James Murphy (right) presented Randy Patterson (left) with the HSRTC service plaque.

The HSRTC met 9 May 2017, Nashville, Tenn., USA.

The following officers were elected:

• Chair: James Murphy, Quaker Chemical Corp.

• Vice chair: William Seres, Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Columbus

• Papers chair: Robert Brunelli, TMEIC Corp.

The RTC and HSRTC met 24 January 2017, Columbus, Miss., USA. The committees reviewed the 2016 Steel Industry Fatalities report, followed by a safety roundtable discussion. Afterward, the groups split to work on individual committee business.
For the HSRTC, papers chair Michael Peretic reviewed their AISTech 2017 paper sessions and identified session chair volunteers.
Committee officers for 2017–2018 were discussed and elections will take place during the HSRTC meeting at AISTech 2017. Other discussion items included: Hot Flat Rolling Fundamentals — A Practical Training Seminar, which will take place in spring 2018; the Hot Sheet Rolling Best Paper Award, which will be awarded for the first time at AISTech 2017; locations for the fall meeting locations were discussed and it was agreed to hold it in conjunction with one of the new specialty training conferences.
The HSRTC brainstormed on topics for future meetings and decided to conduct a survey at the next meeting. The results will guide future planning especially in prioritizing tour locations and lining up quality technical presentations.  
For the RTC, committee officers for 2017–2018 were discussed and elections will take place during the RTC meeting at AISTech 2017.
Lydia Stromei shared membership information and led a group discussion on how to bring in new members like having “mini meet-and-greet” visits at roll shops, allowing members to bring a guest to the meeting, and ways to get more involvement from companies like United States Steel Corporation and ArcelorMittal.
Other discussion items at the RTC meeting included the Rolls Best Paper Award and the RTC’s AISTech sessions; discussion of a Roll Shop Roundup, which was tabled; future meetings, including possible joint meetings with the Safety & Health and Maintenance & Reliability Technology Committees.
Pending confirmations, the RTC’s fall meeting is planned for 22–23 August 2017 in Ohio to tour NorthStar BlueScope Steel, along with a second possible location in the area such as the Jeep plant or Worthington Steel. The technical topic of this meeting will be roll shop management systems and a tentative lineup of presentations was proposed.
The two committees rejoined for the rest of the afternoon for a networking lunch, technical presentations and a plant tour of Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Columbus.

Technical presentations included:

• “New Technology to Check for Roll Defects While Grinding Rolls,” by Frank Weinmeister, Innerspec.

• “Alignment and Wear Studies — Improve Quality and Reliability,” by Nancy Hake, Falk PLI.

• “Overhead Crane Safety Lighting Innovations,” by Robert Brock, Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Columbus.

• “Work Roll Cooling and the Effects It Has on Quality Within Hot Strip Mills,” by Ross Vidal, Lechler.

Randy Patterson (left), HSRTC chair, and Terry Boyd (right), RTC chair, presented Bill Seres (center), hot mill manager at Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Columbus with a plaque of appreciation for hosting a tour during the HSRTC and RTC’s joint meeting.

	The HSRTC toured the 84-inch hot strip mill at U. S. Steel – Gary Works during its meeting on 18–19 October 2016.

The HSRTC met 18–19 October 2016, Michigan City, IN, USA. The HSRTC discussed strategies to increase producer attendance at meetings, such as better advertising at the mills, sending out questionnaires to find out what attendees want to get out of the meetings, presentations by producers on specific problems and what they are doing to fix them, and amending the meeting agendas to better communicate the value of the meeting to make it easier to get permission to attend.
Michael Peretic, papers chair, discussed the HSRTC’s AISTech 2017 technical sessions. He reviewed session chair responsibilities and benefits, then solicited volunteers for the six sessions.
The group finalized its AISTech 2018 Call for Papers verbiage and discussed items to be brought up at the AIST Leadership Conference.
The AIST Hot Strip Mill Roundup was discussed and all were encouraged to review the company data before the next revision.
Jason Burns, general manager of safety for SMS Technical Services, gave the first technical presentation. This led to a roundtable safety discussion and a review of the 2016 Steel Industry Fatalities report. Alejandro Ramos, Ternium Mexico, discussed several safety improvements at his mill and shared video footage from the newly installed high-definition cameras. Tom Weiler then gave a presentation on safety and mill stability strategies at Nucor Steel–Indiana.
The meeting concluded the following day after a tour of the 84-inch hot strip mill at U. S. Steel – Gary Works given by Todd Hardesty. 

Jim Murphy (right) presented the HSRTC service plaque to Randy Patterson (left).

The HSRTC met 17 May 2016, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

The HSRTC met on 23 February 2016 in Birmingham, Ala., USA.

The HSRTC met 23 February 2016, Birmingham, Ala., USA. The HSRTC meeting was co-located with Hot Rolling Fundamentals — A Practical Training Seminar in conjunction with Plate Rolling Fundamentals.
A Hot Sheet Rolling Best Paper Award was proposed. Jim Murphy and Mike Peretic will create the procedure for nominations.
The HSRTC finalized its AISTech 2016 technical sessions and reviewed the session chair responsibilities as it relates to commercialism.
The HSRTC was given a tour of Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa Inc.