Bilston Works
No. 1 Blast Furnace ‘Elisabeth’
A high top pressure furnace built by Ashmore, Benson, Pease & Co. of Stockton-on-Tees in 1954
Height to large bell 90’ 0”
Overall furnace height 212’ 0”
Dia. of hearth 21’ 0”
Dia. of top (throat) 18’ 9”
Iron Production
Oct. 68 to Sept. 69 306,762 tons
Average weekly 5,899 tons
Average per cast 150 tons
Slag Production
Average month 10,000 tons
Typical Iron Analysis
C 4.38%
P 0.77%
Mn 1.24%
Si 1.06%
S 0.023%
Fe………….Remainder
Pig-Casting Machine
Double Strand type, 200 ft. centres of sprockets
Capacity 40 tons
Swarf Crushing Plant
Three Lindemann type Crushers
Capacity 5-7 tons turnings/hr. each.
Melting Shop
The Melting Shop consists of:-
2 – 1,000 ton Mixers
1 – Scrap Baling Press
1 – Material Handling Plant
7 – Open Hearth Furnaces
1 – Vacuum Degassing Plant
Cooling Water Plant
Mixers
Type
Head Wrightson 2 x 1,000 tonnes nominal capacity.
Yearly Output
285,922 tonnes September 1968 to September 1969
Average Weekly Output
5,840 tonnes September 1968 to September 1969
Operating Temperature
1,300°C average
Fuel
Fired with Blast Furnace gas or oil (C.T.F.50) depending on availaility.
Scrap Baling Press
Type
Lindemann-Sidul Press
Size of Bundle
706 mm x 556 mm x 2.249 mm
Nominal weight -1 ton
Rate
1 bundle every three minutes
Ram Pressure
Final Pressure – 3,500 p.s.i.
Ram diameter – 500 mm
Storage Bunkers
Eight storage bunkers containing: Lime, Ore. Fluorspar.
Ferro-Manganese and Ferro-Silicon.
Siemens-Martin Open Hearth Furnaces
Consists of: —
Seven ‘Basic’ Open Hearth Furnaces
3 x 120 ton capacity
3 x 115 ton capacity
1 x 110 ton capacity
All furnaces are fired with pitch creosote with provision for oxygen enrichment of flame.
The air supply is pre-heated in a chequer type regenerator system, the flame direction being reversed every 20 minutes to maintain a high temperature.
Furnace Construction and Maintenance
Hearth is Magnesite / Rammed Dolomite. Life Five years average.
Walls are Chrome-Magnesite brick. Bottom six courses : Magnesite. Life : Fourteen weeks average
Roofs : Suspended Unfired Chemically Bonded Metal Cased Chrome Magnesite.
120 tonne furnaces installed by Wellman Incandescent Furnace Ltd in 1965.
Processes
37% hot metal charged
63% scrap (charged cold)
Majority of ingots bottom teemed
Furnace Operations (1970)
Tap to tap – eight hours average
Charging time – one hour
Fettling time – one hour
Tons per cast – 115 average
Yearly Output
685,787 tons September 1968 to September 1969
Rolling Mill Equipment
14 x Soaking Pits
1 x 40” Cogging Mill
1 x Hot Deseaming machine
1 x Hot Shear 12” x 12” (750 ton)
1 x 32” Roughing Mill
1 x 32” Finishing Mill
2 x Hot Saws 66” diameter
1 x Automatic Measuring stop
3 x Cooling Beds
Tonnage Rolled:
Ingot input to mill: 516,689 tons September, 1968 to Sep-
Tember, 1969. Average tons per week 10,333 tons.
Soaking Pits
Fourteen Stein Atkinson one way oil or gas fired Soaking
Pits arranged in two batteries.
Charged by two Wellman 7½ ton Vertical Ingot Chargers.
Capacity
11 x ingots per pit.
Temperature: approximately 1,300ºC.
Ingot Output Tonnage : approximately 10,000 tons per week.
Wolverhampton Works: Bar Rolling Mill
Figures of week ending 31.1.70
9” Mill – – – – 582 tons
14” Mill – – – – 1,527 tons
_________
Total 2,109 tons
Figures for September 1968 to September 1969
9” Mill
Billets charged – – – 32,059 tons
Bars produced – – – 29,501 tons
Yield – – – – 92.02%
14” Mill
Billets charged – – – 87,870 tons
Bars produced – – – 82,350 tons
Yield – – – – 93.7%
Billet Handling
Billet Sizes – 2” to 4” up to 30 ft. long.
Billets received mostly by rail, unloaded by 10 ton E.O.T.
Crane and placed in pens.
Inspection – Each batch or cast of billets is tested in the
Works own laboratory.
Mill Equipment
14” Merchant Bar Mill
Capacity – 80,000 tons a year. Installed in 1963/64.
Seven stands of rolls. Two stands, 3 high 18” roughing
Rolls. Three stands, 3 high 14” intermediate rolls. Two
Stands, 2 high 14” finishing rolls.
Sizes Rolled
Rounds: 1¼” to 2 9/16” diameter
Squares: 1¼” to 1 13/16”
9” Mill
Capacity 30,000 tons a year.
Five stands of rolls: Three, 3 high stands and Two, 2 high
Stands.
Sizes Rolled
Rounds: 13/16” – to 1¼” diameter
Flats: 1¼” to 2” 8/16” to 1” thickness
2¼” to 3” wide x ¼ to 5/8” thickness
Angles: 1¼” x 1½” x 3/16” to 3/8” thickness
This mill also rolls special sections.
Bars are bundled and put into stock for inspection, cold
straightening, reeling or re-shearing prior to despatch.
Warehouse Bays
Includes: Reeling machines for rounds,
Press straighteners.
Two roller angle straighteners
Small sets of shears for accurately cutting short
Lengths.
Ancillary Equipment and Services
Roll Turning
Rolls are designed by works staff.
Six roll turning lathes.
Birchley Works: Bar Rolling Mill
Figures for week ending 4.4.70
7” Mill – – – – 262 tons
9” Mill – – – – 408 tons
21” Mill – – – – 290 tons
_________
Total – – – – 960 tons
Figures for September 1968 to September 1969
7” Mill
Billets charged – – – 15,225 tons
Bars produced – – – 14,483 tons
Yield – – – – 95.12%