Tyler J. Reikofski – 2020 Steel Intern Scholar
My internship at Nucor Steel – Gallatin, in Ghent, Ky, USA, was based on the quality side of flat roll steel and galvanized flat roll steel production. The bulk of my projects were at the new pickle and galvanizing line recently built there.
Throughout my summer at Nucor, I was able to learn the differences between sheet and bar steel production, as my last internship dealt with bar steel. In my time there, I learned that while there are similarities between both products they do differ. Having experience with both bar and sheet steel with prove to be invaluable in the future.
Most of my projects were based around the newly built pickle and galvanizing line. My main project was to study the profile of the coils coming out of the new pickle and galvanizing line. The profile of a steel coil is the shape of the thickness of the coil if it was unrolling at or away from you. 
The objectives of this project were to see the effects of the new pickle and galvanizing line on the profile of the coil. Also, my secondary project was to create a presentation breaking down the functions of the air knives at the pickle and galvanizing line. This presentation would allow someone with minimal experience with galvanized material to learn how the air knives affect the coating on the galvanized product.
Even with COVID-19, my time at Nucor Steel – Gallatin was of the upmost quality. The entire quality department there never hesitated to help me out if I ever needed it. My mentor was always willing to explain something again if I did not quite understand it the first time either. Overall, I was able to learn a lot about the steel making process there and further my knowledge in general about the steel industry.