2024 Steel Intern Scholarships

Brock R. Smith

This summer, I interned with Cleveland-Cliffs Middletown Works. While there, I was a maintenance mechanical engineering intern for their zinc grip line on their cold work side. This was a great way to see the behind-the-scenes process of what all goes into making steel, and the people who make it all happen.

I’m glad to have been able to work on a project involved in improving this line, as I worked on improving infrastructure and innovating the current design, which has been in continuous use since the 1960s. These innovations will not only help to improve worker safety in a multitude of ways, but also cut down the maintenance time required to fix this line. While facing a variety of challenges trying to learn and improve this tank, I was able to design new drawer slides that will allow for the rolls in the tank to quickly be changed out from the old ones every downturn. Along with this project, I was able to implement other safety features to different places on the line, including a tool rack in one of the cutback stations. This will allow for tools not in use to be properly and safely stored.

My other tasks involved observing and learning from the maintenance personnel as they went about their day, fixing and working on various parts of the line. This allowed me to gain a better understanding of what all goes into keeping a steel mill running. I was also able to try some new things such as stick welding. All these experiences will really help me in my career in the future, and I’m excited to put them to work!