Le comportement mécanique et la tenue en fatigue sont étudiés en fonction del’orientation des fibres et en fonction du chargement (traction-torsion) pour unthermoplastique renforcé par des fibres de verre courtes. Les résultats présentent uneforte anisotropie qui exige la mise en œuvre d’une chaîne de dimensionnement qui intègrela simulation du procédé : simulation de l’orientation des fibres par Moldflow, estimationdu comportement mécanique par homogénéisation de type Mori Tanaka et enfin applicationd’un critère énergétique. La confrontation entre les résultats expérimentaux et cettemodélisation complète est très satisfaisante.

Nowadays, finding ceramic materials with good physical-chemistry characteristics to makeceramic cups is no longer a big difficulty. However, the stability of the construction,the anti-penetration ability and the adaptability of the working profile of the hat faceof the ceramic cup are of critical importance to prolong the campaign life of the ceramiccup itself and thus the BF hearth. In a lot of cases, the so-called “ceramic cup” isformed just by one, two or more rings of the standard-shaped ceramic bricks which areinstalled closely against the carbon hot face. In these linings, there are manypenetrating linear joints from the hot face to the cold face through the ceramic lining.Both the overall stability of the construction and the anti-penetration ability of thelining are very poor. Therefore, the goal of installing a ceramic cup, to protect thecarbon lining from the erosion of hot metal, would be difficult to achieve and thelifetime of the ceramic cup would not be long no matter what excellent materials werebeing used. However, an “Integrated Ceramic Cup” structure for the BF hearth is composedof special-shaped ceramic blocks which are all interlocked with each other. In such aconstruction, there is no linear breakthrough joint from the hot face to the cold face ofthe ceramic lining. A ceramic lining with this structure can effectively avoid hot metaland gases penetrating into and then through the joints of the ceramic lining to attack thecarbon lining behind. As a result, the campaign life of the BF hearth, and also thecampaign life of the blast furnace, would be prolonged. Nowadays the “Integrated CeramicCup” structure has been used in many modern blast furnaces and its significant performancehas been proved.

The developments of plates are strongly driven by demands from high-sophisticatedpipeline and structural applications. Such needs reflect in plates with higher thickness,larger width, higher toughness also at lower temperatures, higher strength and/or betterresistance to sour environments. The requirement profiles are, in some cases, exceptionaland have become achievable, in an extreme combination of alloying and processingtechnologies, only as a result of comprehensive development work and plant investments. Abroad potential for innovation derives by the utilization of the key-technology TMCP(Thermo-Mechanical Controlled Process). The status of present-day heavy plate productionwill be presented. An outline of the production facilities, routes and process variantswill be given. As a central element to achieve high-class requirements, aspects andparameters of the metallurgical design will be explained. The utilization will beexplained and illustrated with selected recent applications.

Les traitements de surface, leurs choix et leurs performances souvent rassemblés dans laterminologie «ingénierie des surfaces» sont un large domaine, primordial pour obtenir lesperformances et les propriétés recherchées sur les composants réalisés à partir d’alliagesmétalliques. Après avoir rappelé l’importance de la phase de préparation et les différentsmécanismes intervenant lors de la fabrication d’un revêtement ou dépôt ainsi que lesobjectifs justifiant l’application de ces derniers, un classement basé sur lestechnologies utilisées est proposé en rappelant les principes, les principalesapplications et propriétés ainsi que les dernières évolutions de chacun des domaines. Endernière partie une réflexion sur les évolutions annoncées des traitements de surface estproposée, elle s’appuie sur les exigences réglementaires et sur les nouvelles technologiesdisponibles. En guise de conclusion, la synthèse d’une étude prospective à l’horizon 2015et 2020 réalisée par le CETIM et la FIM (Centre technique des industries mécaniques;Fédération des industries mécaniques) est proposée.

Over the past few years several technical efforts have been focused on continuous improvement of quench and tempered product at ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor plate mill facility with particular attention being given to optimization of the flatness of quenched product. Incremental improvement in quench line equipment and practices is being aided by computer-based modelling tools and specialized instrumentation. The paper describes the development of different tools used to control flatness after quench and tempering units. The detailed description of a 3D model designed to predict distortion such as edge waves, center buckles, longbows and crossbows during quenching is presented. The model developed with Abaqus is able to predict the evolution of plate temperature, thermal stresses, strains, and distortions during cooling. The water cooling system is represented by top and bottom movable surfaces where a heat flux depending on width, length and temperature is applied. The effect of phase transformation is approximated by a variation of the plate thermal expansion coefficient.