Method and installation for the production of steel products having an optimum surface quality

1. Method for producing steel products ( 1 ) with optimum surface quality of an ultralow carbon, high-strength and/or stainless steel grade, comprising the steps of:

melting ( 2 ) the steel and treating the steel in a ladle metallurgy installation ( 3 );

subsequently continuously casting the steel ( 4 ) into a thin slab ( 5 a ) in a continuous casting mold ( 14 ), partially deforming, cutting the slab into partial strand lengths ( 15 ), descaling ( 28 ), heating to rolling temperature and homogenizing in a soaking furnace ( 16 ), descaling again and rolling in a finishing mill ( 6 a ),

coiling in a first coiling station ( 20 ) immediately downstream of a last finishing stand ( 19 ) or, alternatively, downstream of a cooling line ( 21 ), and adjusting a final microstructure ( 9 ) in a cooling line ( 21 ) according to the desired grade of steel by cooling on a runout table ( 22 ), and finish-coiling the rolled product ( 1 a ) in a second coiling station;

wherein said step of melting the steel and treating the steel includes providing a system capable of carrying out a plurality of process routes for producing molten steel including the following routes:

(a) producing the molten steel ( 1 b ) in a melting installation ( 2 a ) which is not a steelworks converter, and treating in a vacuum degassing system ( 27 ) and in a ladle furnace ( 25 ), and

(b) melting in an electric arc furnace ( 2 b ) or in a two vessel electric arc furnace, and treating in a ladle furnace ( 25 ) with an electrode system ( 31 ) and in a vacuum degassing system, and

(c) melting in an electric arc furnace installation ( 35 ) or a two vessel electric arc furnace ( 30 ) capable of a two stage process or an individual furnace vessel ( 30 ), and treating in the ladle furnace ( 25 ) and in a differential-pressure vacuum degassing system ( 43 ), and

(d) melting in an electric arc furnace ( 2 b ) with additions of alloying materials ( 26 ), and treating by a partial-quantity degassing in the ladle furnace ( 25 ), or a vacuum degassing system ( 27 ) and a ladle degassing ( 27 );

and selecting a process route for producing the molten steel from the process routes (a) through (d) to achieve a desired final microstructure ( 9 ).

2. Method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein successive treatment steps ( 24 ) are carried out as a first process route ( 10 )

in the electric arc furnace ( 2 b ) and

in a ladle metallurgy installation ( 3 )

with at least one vacuum degassing system ( 27 ) followed by the ladle furnace ( 25 ) for decarbonization, reduction, and addition of alloying materials ( 26 ), and

with the ladle furnace ( 25 ) for slag formation, for slag work, for temperature control, for final adjustment of a final analysis, and for purity rinsing to a desired Δ <Al> content.

3. Method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein successive treatment steps ( 24 ) are carried out as a second process route ( 11 )

in the electric arc furnace ( 2 b ) or the electric arc furnace installation ( 35 ) and

in a ladle metallurgy installation ( 3 ),

with the ladle furnace ( 25 ) for slag formation

for the heating

and for the prereduction of the steel, with a

vacuum degassing system ( 27 )

for the decarbonization and denitrogenation

for the reduction of the slag on the steel surface

for the desulfurization under reduced pressure,

for a final adjustment of the final analysis and

for the purity rinsing to a desired Δ <Al> under atmospheric pressure.

4. Method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein successive treatment steps ( 24 ) are carried out as a third process route ( 12 )

in the electric arc furnace ( 2 b ) or in the electric arc furnace installation ( 35 ) and

in a ladle metallurgy installation ( 3 )

with the ladle furnace ( 25 )

for temperature control and

for prereduction

with at least one differential-pressure degassing process ( 43 ) for the decarbonization, desulfurization and denitrogenation, reduction, and addition of alloying materials from an iron alloy, and with a final adjustment of the final analysis and

for purity rinsing to <Al> contents <15 ppm bound aluminum (Al 2 O 3 ).

5. Method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein successive treatment steps ( 24 ) are carried out as a fourth process route ( 13 )

in an electric arc furnace ( 2 b ) or in an electric arc furnace installation ( 35 ) and

in a ladle metallurgy installation ( 3 ) with a ladle furnace ( 25 ) for temperature control and a subsequent partial-quantity degassing ( 27 a ) for decarbonization and denitrogenation, desulfurization, with a ladle degassing ( 27 ) for a final adjustment of the final analysis and for purity rinsing to desired Δ <Al> contents.

6. Method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein a descaling ( 28 ) is carried out directly below the continuous casting mold ( 14 ).

7. Method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein a controlled high-temperature oxidation ( 29 ) by a controlled atmosphere is carried out in the soaking furnace ( 16 ).

8. Method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the partial strand lengths ( 15 ) are inductively heated downstream of the soaking furnace ( 16 ).

9. Method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the partial strand lengths ( 15 ) are subjected to controlled cooling upstream of a first finishing stand ( 17 ) of the finishing mill ( 6 a ).

10. Method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein continuous product ( 1 c ) coiled in the second coiling station ( 23 ) is subjected to controlled cooling.

11. Method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the electric arc furnace installation ( 35 ) comprises two furnace vessels ( 30 ), which are alternately operated with a swiveled electrode system ( 31 ) and an oppositely swiveled top injection lance ( 32 ), are operated with pig iron, direct reduced charge materials, and scrap, and are operated partially with electric power and/or chemical energy.

12. Method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein steels with multiphase microstructure are produced.