February 27 , 2008 - The Continuous Casting Operating Committee (CCOC) met Feb. 27 in Mobile, Ala. Currently this committee has 134 members. AISTech 2008 paper presentations were reviewed, with 26 papers within five sessions confirmed. AIST and AISI committee integration was discussed, and producer-only aspects were debated. The CCOC is planning to conduct its next Specialty Conference, “Continuous Casting — A Practical Training Seminar,” on Oct. 14–16 in Merrillville, Ind. This event will be held in conjunction with the AIST Midwest Chapter dinner. Local university involvement with future committee events will be investigated. Future committee event sites are ArcelorMittal Dofasco Hamilton, CMC San Antonio, SDI Columbia City, and a possible European site. Nominations for committee officers were held, and voting will occur during the next CCOC meeting, which will take place at AISTech 2008. Brimacombe Steel Short Course dates are set and available on the new AIST website. A joint technical discussion with the AIST Birmingham Member Chapter included five presentations regarding casting. Round table discussion followed, focusing on recent casting issues resulting from increased zinc levels. The AIST Birmingham Member Chapter keynote speaker was Christoph Lackinger, vice president of technology, ThyssenKrupp USA. On Thursday, Feb. 28, the CCOC were given a tour of SSAB IPSCO Steel Mobile, followed by a shop tour of SMS Millcraft at the plant site.

October 3-4 , 2007 - The Continuous Casting Operating Committee (CCOC) held a joint meeting with the AISI Strand Casting Committee on Oct. 3–4 in Merrillville, Ind. The joint meeting focused on primary and secondary cooling with technical presentations on transverse cracking; water treatment in secondary cooling systems; and secondary cooling ideas, realities, spraying systems and upgrades. During the business meeting, led by chair Ronald J. O’Malley and vice chair Darrell E. Sturgill, committee members discussed feedback from AISTech 2007, discussed Best Paper Awards and reviewed abstracts in order to develop technical sessions for AISTech 2008. The CCOC plans to hold full technical sessions at AISTech. The upcoming Continuous Casting Training Seminar, held Oct. 23–25 in Cleveland, Ohio, was discussed, along with ways to increase student participation at AIST events. The meeting concluded with plant tours of U. S. Steel Gary Works’ No. 2 caster and ArcelorMittal Indiana Bar Products facilities. The next meeting was tentatively planned for March 2008 in either San Antonio, Texas, or Mobile, Ala.

May 8, 2007 - The Continuous Casting Operating Committee (CCOC) met on May 8, 2007, in Indianapolis, Ind. After member and guest introductions and a brief overview of some organization announcements, the CCOC chair, Kevin Bertermann, commented on the need to adhere to the AIST anti-trust guidelines and mentioned that committee members are required to attend one meeting per year to retain a position on the committee. Committee members then reviewed the progress of AISTech 2007, providing feedback to the committee officers regarding what they liked and disliked about the event. These comments will be passed on to the AIST Conference Planning Committee. The Continuous Casting Training Seminar was then reviewed by the Training Subcommittee officers. The event will be held in Cleveland, Ohio, in October 2007, with tours of either ArcelorMittal – Cleveland or Republic Engineered Products–Lorain. Members then discussed efforts to increase student involvement in the steel industry. They will look for ways to invite students to participate in the committee’s meetings and activities and to make presentations to the committee on techology they are researching. Finally, the CCOC elected its 2007 officers. Ron O’Malley of Nucor Steel was elected chair. Darrell Sturgill of Stollberg Inc. was elected vice chair. Papers chairs are Dave Beck of ChemTreat and John Hauck of WCI Steel Inc. Eduction co-chairs are Jeff Brower of Siemens VAI and Bill Schlicting of U. S. Steel–Gary Works. The next CCOC meeting will be Oct. 3-4 in Merrillville, Ind., and this will be a joint meeting with the AISI Strand Casting Committee. The technical subject for the meeting will be primary and secondary cooling.

March 5-6, 2007 - The Continuous Casting Operating Committee (CCOC) joined the AIST Southeast Member Chapter Annual Meeting in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on March 5–6, 2007. The CCOC held a brief business meeting on the morning of March 5. Following opening remarks, an update was given regarding the status of the CCOC technical sessions for AISTech 2007. The session chairs were instructed to contact authors who had not yet submitted final papers to AIST and encourage them to register for AISTech 2007. The chair then provided an update regarding the Continouos Casting Training Seminar, which will be held in Cleveland, Ohio, in October 2007, and will include tours of Mittal Steel USA – Cleveland and Republic Engineered Products–Lorain. The committee then discussed their meeting plans for fall 2007, and a motion was made to once again hold a joint meeting with the AISI Strand Casting Committee. The AISI Strand Casting Committee will be approached to confirm a location, and the meeting will be confirmed at the next CCOC meeting. The last item of discussion was nominees for officers for the committee. The officer election will be held at the CCOC’s May meeting. Following a break for lunch, the CCOC joined the Southeast Member Chapter for technical presenations, which included: “Auto-igniting Cutoff Torches” by Jack Bean, J.B. Martin Co.; “New Welded Banding Technology at Nucor Berkeley Beam Mill” by Sean McCarthy, Chris Anderson and James Crenshaw, Nucor Steel–Berkeley; “Overview of a Rolling Mill Upgrade” by Leon Kirvin and Russ Watson, Nucor Steel–South Carolina; “Slag Detection Improvements at Dofasco” by Rick Moore and Paul Rasmussen, Dofasco Inc.; and “Vacuum Degassing for the Steel Industry” by Kyle Shoop and Jim Simmons, Core Furnace Systems Corp. A question-and-answer round table discussion followed the technical presentation, and the evening concluded with the Southeast Chapter dinner and a keynote presentation by Mike Gurley, general manager, Nucor Steel–South Carolina, entitled, “Climate Change: Meeting the Global Challenge.” The committee again joined the Southeast Chapter for a tour of the steelmaking facilities at Nucor Steel–South Carolina. The tour included an overview of their DC EAF, LMF, billet caster, the Nos. 1 and 2 rolling mills, and their shipping facilities.

October 10, 2006 - The Ladle Design Subcommittee of the Ladle and Secondary Refining Operating Committee held a half-day meeting on Oct. 10, 2006, at WCI Steel in Warren, Ohio. The members continued their revisions to Technical Report No. 9, Specifications for the Design and Use of Ladles. The committee reviewed and revised the figures for the report and continued to coordinate the symbology appendix with the text of the document. A discussion was also held concerning the application of the fabrication section to the actual construction of a ladle. Revisions to the fabrication section were made as a result of the discussion. Following the meeting, the Ladle Design Subcommittee joined the Ladle and Secondary Refining Operating Committee, Continuous Casting Operating Committee and the AISI Strand Casting Committee for a tour of the steelmaking facilities at WCI Steel. The next meeting for the Ladle Design Subcommittee will be Jan. 18 at Middough Associates, Cleveland, Ohio.

October 10-11, 2006 - The Continuous Casting Operating Committee (CCOC) and the Ladle and Secondary Refining Operating Committee (LSROC) met with the AISI Strand Casting Committee in Warren, Ohio, on Oct. 10–11, 2006. The meeting began with the three committees touring the BOF steelmaking and casting facilities at WCI Steel, Warren, Ohio. After the tour, the committees held a brief question-and-answer session and attended a reception and dinner with the AIST Northern Ohio Chapter. On Oct. 11, the LSROC and the CCOCheld a brief business meeting to update their memberships concerning the Continuous Casting Training Seminar program, the current status of the Operating Committees’ technical sessions for AISTech 2007, and upcoming meeting plans. Following the business meeting, the AISI Strand Casting Committee again joined the meeting for a technical discussion. Leading into the technical discussion was an awards presentation ceremony. The LSROC presented the 2005 Best Paper Award to Material Handling Specialties for their paper, “Ladle Relining Lifts Equipment — Ergonomic and Technical Considerations,” and the 2006 Best Paper Award to P.K. Ghosh (formerly of Nucor Steel) and T.W. Junker and Rob Rote of Midwest Instrumentation Co. Inc. for their paper, “The Development of a New Approach to Deoxidation at Nucor Steel–Hickman.” The CCOC presented the 2005 Best Paper Award to Carlos Cicutt of TAMSA for his paper, “Analysis of Mold Friction in a Continuous Casting Machine for Round Bars,” and the 2006 Best Paper Award to Dofasco Inc. for their paper, “Mixed Grade Model Development and Implementation.” The technical presentations focused on secondary refining’s impact on castability. The five presentations were as follows: “Introduction to Inclusions” by Stuart Gray of Gerdau Ameristeel–Beaumont (Texas); “Reduction of Surface Defects on 0.25% C Hot Band at Nucor Steel–Indiana” by Scott McDougal; “Secondary Refining Practices and Their Influence on Castability” by Dr. Paul Kaushik of Mittal Steel USA; “Recent Study of Casting Issues Using Rapid Inclusion Analysis” by Scott Story of U. S. Steel; and “The Effect of Inclusions on Castability” by Eugene Pretorius of Nucor Steel–Berkeley. The next meeting for the LSROC will be co-located with the AIST Modern Electric Furnace Training Seminar, Feb. 5–9 in San Antonio, Texas, and will include a tour of CMC Steel Texas. The CCOC will co-locate their winter meeting with the AIST Southeast Member Chapter meeting on March 4–6 in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and will include a tour of Nucor Steel–South Carolina (Darlington) and technical presentations.

May 2, 2006 - The Continuous Casting Operating Committee met during AISTech 2006 on May 2. An election of officers was held and an update regarding the continuous casting technical sessions for AISTech 2006 was given. A review of the Continuous Casting Training Seminar, to be held in Birmingham, Ala., in November 2006, was also provided. A discussion was then held regarding the fall meeting and the logistics of a joint meeting with the AISI Strand Casting Committee. The joint meeting will be held in Warren, Ohio, on Oct. 10–11. The Ladle and Secondary Refining Operating Committee will also participate in the meeting.

February 7-8, 2006 - The Continuous Casting Operating Committee held their winter meeting in Belterra, Ind., on Feb. 7–8. The members visited Gallatin Steel Co. on Feb. 7 for a tour of the meltshop, ladle treatment area, casting facility and hot rolling facilities. Members were given the opportunity to ask multiple questions regarding the process and equipment at Gallatin Steel. Following the tour, Gallatin Steel and SMS Millcraft sponsored a reception and dinner for the attendees, which encouraged networking among the members. The business meeting was held on Feb. 8. After AIST announcements, the committee reviewed their technical sessions for AISTech 2006. Substitute papers and chairs were identified to replace any unconfirmed papers and chairs. As a follow-up item from AISTech 2005, the committee identified the best paper presented during the continuous casting technical sessions at AISTech 2005. The presentation of the award will be scheduled in the near future. The committee reviewed their membership, and it was noted that, for the second consecutive meeting, attendance was above 50 members, with approximately half of them steel producers. The “Caster Roundup” was also discussed, and volunteers were identified to pursue this benchmarking tool for the industry. A discussion was then held with representatives from the AISI Continuous Casting Committee on a potential joint meeting with the group to better utilize member time and travel. Following the committee business, the technical portion of the meeting was held with a focus on mold and tundish practices. Presentations were made by Gallatin Steel, ABB Inc., Mittal Steel USA, U. S. Steel and Dofasco. These presentations were made available to the Continuous Casting Operating Committee members on their exclusive “Members Only” Web site at www.aist.org. During lunch, a discussion was led by Gary Norgren of Mittal Steel USA regarding the comments about the sold-out, inaugural Continuous Casting Training Seminar, which was held in Merrillville, Ind., on Oct. 11, 2005. The group determined that the course would again be offered in the fall of 2006 in either Birmingham, Ala., or Cleveland, Ohio, and it would again include an opportunity to attend the local AIST Member Chapter function during the conference. The meeting concluded with a question-and-answer session among the members. The Continuous Casting Operating Committee will meet again at AISTech 2006 in Cleveland, Ohio.

October 4-5, 2005 - The Continuous Casting Operating Committee held its fall meeting in Baltimore, Md., on Oct. 4–5. On the first day, the members met at Mittal Steel USA – Sparrows Point for a thorough tour of the steelmaking facilities and an additional tour of the Voest-Alpine Services & Technologies (VAST) mold and segment repair facility. Following the tour, Mittal Steel USA and VASThosted a reception and dinner for the members. The Operating Committee held its business meeting on Oct. 5. Items on the agenda included the organization of the AISTech 2006 continuous casting technical sessions, an overview of committee membership, a report on the sold-out Continuous Casting Training Seminar held on Oct. 11 and the selection of a subcommittee to review the “best of session” papers from AISTech 2005 for the Best Paper Award. Following the business meeting, technical presentations were given by U. S. Steel Gary Works, SMS Demag, Nucor Steel – Decatur and Siemens/VAI on mold level control. The meeting concluded with a round table question-and-answer session on presubmitted questions. The next meeting for the committee will be in February 2006 in Ghent, Ky., and will include a tour of Gallatin Steel and technical discussions on steel cleanliness.

May 10, 2005 - The Continuous Casting Operating Committee met on May 10 during AISTech 2005 to organize future plans of the committee’s structure and activity. The members heard a report by the Membership Chair regarding rostered members who had not fulfilled attendance requirements. The committee then held officer elections for the next year. Following the elections, the Training Subcommittee Chair gave a report regarding the organization of a one-day continuous casting basic training seminar to be held Oct. 11 in Merrillville, Ind. The committee also discussed having a joint meeting with the AISI Continuous Casting Committee sometime in 2006. The next meeting will be Oct. 4–5 in Baltimore, Md., which will include tours of Mittal Steel USA – Sparrows Point and Voest-Alpine Services & Technologies (VAST) and a technical discussion on mold level sensing and control.

February 8-9, 2005 - The Continuous Casting Operating Committee met in conjunction with the AIST Birmingham Chapter on February 8-9, 2005 in Huntsville, Ala. The operating committee held a business meeting on February 8 to finalize details for their technical sessions at AISTech 2005. Also discussed was a review of the operating committee’s roster to determine the active members of the committee. The committee then began to make final plans for a practical continuous casting training seminar to be held in the fall of 2005. After lunch, the members met with the AIST Birmingham Chapter for a tour of Nucor Steel – Alabama which was followed by a dinner and presentation by Rex Query, General Manager, Nucor Steel – Alabama. On February 9, there was a question and answer period regarding the tour followed by three technical presentations on continuous casting mold powder. The next meeting will be at the AISTech 2005 in Charlotte, NC in May.

November 16-17, 2004 - The Continuous Casting Operating Committee met in Youngstown, Ohio, on Nov. 16–17. This two-day meeting was attended by more than 40 members of the committee. After introductions by the attendees, the committee began planning for AISTech 2005. The abstracts submitted via general solicitation were divided into three areas: Quality and Metallurgy, Secondary Cooling, and Caster Operations. The committee broke up into three groups and established their technical sessions based on the three areas and will sponsor a total of six sessions, one of which will be a joint session with the Computer Applications Operating Committee. The Membership Chair of the committee reviewed his efforts regarding the organization and establishment of the working Operating Committee. Members who have not attended a Continuous Casting Operating Committee meeting will be notified via letter regarding their membership requirements and their future participation will be solicited in order to grow and enhance the Operating Committee’s membership. The committee then discussed the technical topic for the next meeting and the viability of the committee sponsoring a basic continuous casting training course in 2005. The day concluded with a tour of the entire steelmaking facilities at V&M Star. On Nov. 17, the meeting continued with a round table discussion on spray water performance in the caster. The next meeting for the Continuous Casting Operating Committee will be Feb. 8–9 in Birmingham, Ala.

September 15, 2004 - The Continuous Casting Operating Committee met during AISTech 2004 on Sept. 15. During the brief lunch meeting, the committee reviewed their sessions for AISTech, approved their mission statement and began initial planning for AISTech 2005. The meeting concluded with a discussion on round table subjects for future meetings.

May 25-26, 2003 - The Continuous Casting Operating Committee met in Burlington, Ont., Canada, on May 25–26 to discuss committee leadership, conference planning and membership. The committee took nominations for officers to lead the committee, and an election was held to finalize the Chair and Vice Chair for the committee. Following the elections was an overview of the current Continuous Casting technical sessions for AISTech 2004. Session chairs were selected for each session. The Membership Subcommittee then reviewed the current Continuous Casting membership roster, identified other individuals in the industry who are not represented, and developed a procedure to contact them. In addition, a mission statement and a list of membership benefits were developed to reflect the committee’s role in the industry. The meeting concluded with a tour of Dofasco Inc.’s EAF stream and continuous casting facility and three presentations by Dofasco Inc., V&M Star and Gallatin Steel Co. The next meeting will be held during AISTech 2004 in Nashville, Tenn.

March 22-23, 2003 - The Continuous Casting Operating Committee held their spring meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, March 22–23. The meeting began with a review of the activities of all the AIST Technology Divisions. Four subcommittees were formed to discuss pressing needs for the operating committee: membership, committee activities, continuing education and conference programming. The membership subcommittee will work to reach out to continuous casting companies not represented at the meeting and will include them in future committee correspondence. The committee activities subcommittee developed future meeting activities that will include presentations, round table discussions and plant tours. The continuing education subcommittee will pursue formats for educating entry-level employees on the technology and operation of continuous casters. The conference planning subcommittee reviewed the submitted continuous casting abstracts and developed four sessions for AISTech 2004. The entire Operating Committee reconvened and reviewed the activities of the subcommittees. The day concluded with a tour of the steelmaking facilities at ISG Cleveland Inc. The second day was reserved for a round table discussion on operations and maintenance staffing of continuous casters.