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10 QUALITY CONTROL FACILITIES

10.01 Objective and scope

The proposed steel melt shop being set up by the

Customer and intend to produce square billets of
plain carbon mild steel grade. In order to achieve
this objective, efficient and stringent quality
assurance measures are to be enforced at every
stage of production. Quality assurance can be
implemented effectively in the form of analyses and
test results which can be provided only by an well
equipped laboratory entrusted with day-to-day
quality control at all stages of processing and
quality evaluation of outgoing products.

The laboratory will, therefore, have the following

responsibilities.

 Collection and preparation of samples

 Testing of incoming raw materials like scrap,
Sponge Iron(DRI), Ferro-alloys, etc.
 Analysis of intermediate products and testing
of outgoing products.
 Feedback to the main production units to
enable them to ensure corrective measures in
a short time to eliminate process irregularities
and rejection of costly intermediate and
outgoing products.
 Investigation of customer complaints for
addressing them effectively
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10.02 Planning of laboratories

The steelmaking and continuous casting plant will

have one laboratory catering to the quality control
requirements of this plant.

10.03 Sample transportation

In steelmaking and continuous casting plant, liquid

steel samples will be collected from Induction
furnace, ladle furnace and tundish of continuous
casting machine. Transportation of these samples
from different sampling points to the quality control
laboratory will be done by pneumatic sample
transportation systems. Samples of raw materials,
fluxes and ferro-alloys will be transported manually
from the steel making plant to the laboratory.

10.04 Service facilities

The laboratory will be provided with service facilities

like power, water, exhaust ventilation, air
conditioning, etc. as required. Persons with
adequate knowledge will be deployed to man the
laboratory.

10.05 Laboratory functions and activities

Functions

 Express analysis of steel samples from IF, ladle

furnace and tundish of billet caster and
analysis of gas content of steel samples.

 Analysis and testing of raw material samples

(i.e., ferro-alloys, Sponge Iron, etc.) and slag
samples from Induction furnace.
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10.06 Functional sections and major facilities

 Spectrometric sample preparation section.

 Instrumental analysis section including

spectrometric analysis facilities.

 Wet chemical analysis section

The spectrometric sample preparation section will

be provided with spectrometric sample polishing
machines. The instrumental analysis section will be
provided with optical emission spectrometer,
simultaneous oxygen-nitrogen analyzer and
simultaneous carbon-sulphur analyzer. The wet
chemical section will serve as back-up facilities for
analytical instruments and will be provided with Uv-
visible spectrophotometer, muffle furnace, drying
oven, hot plate, balances, pH meter, conductivity
meter, fume hood, double analytical table, etc.