Although iron is one of the strongest and most durable elements on earth, it has several minus points, from the higher costs of raw iron to the oxidative damage it suffers from oxygen and moisture exposure. This is where steel comes into play!
Being an alloy made from carbon, chromium, and iron, steel does not work for rust and can last long. Over the years, steel has been revolutionized in different ways to overcome the minus points, all thanks to the advancements in metallurgy. Perhaps this is why so many different steel plants have been set up worldwide. As the demand for this alloy increases at a galloping speed, many new companies have emerged.
While we all know steel mills or plants are used for manufacturing steel from raw materials, only a handful of people have an idea about what goes on inside the mills. So, if you are interested in learning more about steel mills and some of the most amusing facts about the same, the following discussion will clarify most of your doubts.
Most parts of steel mills have orange and red colors.
You will be amazed to know that if you look at the entire steel plant, especially at the manufacturing location, the main colors you will come across are red and orange. Want to know why? One cannot make steel by pressing iron with carbon and chromium. Instead, all metals must be melted at high temperatures and then fused using specific processes.
Until and unless they are melted completely, mixing or fusion is impossible. Besides, to process steel and give it different shapes, it needs to be red hot. The main color options you can find around in the steel plants are red and orange. And to be honest, it almost feels as if the machines and people are working with hot molten lava.
Semi-liquid to solid-state conversion can be seen in steel plants.
We all know how liquid is converted to solid using cooling or freezing action. But in steel mills, you will come across a more advanced process where an object in the semi-liquid state is converted into another object having a solid and rigid form. Here, steel is used in a semi-liquid form where it is molten and then used to form different types of objects and items, like wires, rods, utensils, etc.
Once the desired shape is obtained, the component is suddenly dipped into cold water to solidify instantly without forming air bubbles because that can make the objects brittle and fragile. The air above the cold water pools will be nothing less than a floating cloud, which is a wonderful sight to watch.
Steel plants aren’t just for manufacturing steel.
You are highly wrong if you think that steel plants are mainly the site for manufacturing steel from iron, carbon, and chromium. Instead, the manufacturing unit is divided into multiple units where a particular function will be carried on.
For instance, metals are molten in one segment, while in the other one, molten steel is stretched and twisted to form steel wires. Similarly, in some sections, you can find people constantly heating the steel to keep it soft and flexible so that one can use its malleability and ductility features full-on.
These plants are prone to accidents and mishaps.
It is not something unknown that the steel plants are indeed one of the major places where any accident or mishap can easily take place. With such high temperatures, pools of molten steel, red hot iron and carbon, and so many other machinery items, accidents are common. If you look at the reports, you will see several steel plants have endured different types of mishaps.
Although every work is carried on with utmost safety, accidents are inevitable. For example, if the molten steel somehow falls on someone’s skin, it won’t just burn. Instead, it will cause more damage than we expect. This is why every steel mill is exercising special care so that the chances of accidents and mishaps can be reduced effectively.
Steel plants are one of the major sources of pollution.
Believe it or not, steel plants cause different types of pollution. The soot and exhaust coming out from the plants cause air pollution, while the hot water released from the plants into the surrounding water bodies results in water pollution. So, steel plants need to revolutionize their work processes and opt for further machinery items to keep pollution at bay.
Conclusion
With these five facts about steel mills, you can easily understand how beneficial steel mills are and how difficult it is for workers to work there in such risky situations. Perhaps this is why most companies are adopting new and advanced technologies.
