STEEL CONSTRUCTION-EXCURSION 2014

Authors: Dipl.-Ing. Thomas Faßl, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Richard Stroetmann

The steel construction-excursion 2014 led 35 students of the 4th to 10th semester as well as the course of studies ACCESS under the supervision of Prof. Stroetmann and Mr. Faßl from the chair of steel construction to the company Goldbeck Ost GmbH in Treuen and to the Elbe-Stahlwerk Feralpi GmbH in Riesa.

After our arrival in Treuen we were warmly welcomed by Mr. Frank Soppa, member of the management. Mr. Soppa introduced the excursion group to the Goldbeck company, its products and services and emphasized the importance of the community of values for the success of the company. On the basis of selected projects, Mr. Soppa drew an interesting portfolio of the company, ranging from turnkey office buildings to halls and parking garages. He praised the good cooperation with the TU Dresden, its quality of education and showed the students possible activities in the company.

Afterwards, the students, divided into five groups, visited various production stations in the industrial plant. The tour led from steel construction production and thin sheet processing to window and door production, which is also necessary for turnkey construction. Due to the relocation of many production and assembly steps from the construction site to the industrial plant, Goldbeck is able to achieve very short assembly and construction times while maintaining high quality with the help of a modular design.

© Thomas Faßl

After this informative factory tour and a lunchtime snack at the kind invitation of the Goldbeck company, the excursion group continued their way towards Riesa to the ESF Elbe-Stahlwerke Feralpi GmbH. This company is one of the largest employers in the region and part of the Feralpi Group in Riesa. With the friendly support of Mrs. Paape, assistant to the plant management, a guided tour through the plant was made possible. Mr. Reinartz, manager of the rolling mill, and Mr. Götze, project engineer in the company, welcomed the students. After a short introductory lecture and the presentation of the company, which mainly produces reinforcing bars and wire rod and is particularly concerned with increasing the environmental friendliness of the plant, the students started their tour of the plant in two groups.

At the beginning, the delivery, separation and storage of steel scrap, which is necessary for the production of new steel in the electric arc furnace, was inspected. Unfortunately it was not possible to visit the electric arc furnace. The reason for this is the installation of a boiler for steam generation, which declared the melting shop a boiler house. Nevertheless, the students were able to experience the reactions in the electric arc furnace almost as a new batch of scrap was being melted in the furnace next door during the visit to the ladle treatment. After the ladle treatment, in which no particularly high demands are placed on the melt due to the end products (reinforcing steel bars, wire rod), the students inspected the casting of the melt into the copper moulds and the billets produced on the continuous casting machine. These semi-finished products, which can be produced up to 13.5 m long, are either cooled and then stored temporarily or fed directly to further processing in the rolling mill. The hot processing rate is to be increased in future from the current 45% to up to 80%. The excursion group followed the production route of red-hot billets from the continuous casting plant to the cut-to-length intermediate product. These are heated up to 1200°C in a natural gas-heated lift-hearth furnace. Afterwards the group was able to observe the rolling of the billets into wire rod. A billet of the dimensions 0.16 x 0.16 x 12m reaches a length of almost 11 km with a wire rod diameter of 6 mm! During the plant tour, numerous questions arose which were answered by the company's employees in a competent and understandable way.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the companies Goldbeck Ost GmbH and Elbe-Stahlwerke Feralpi GmbH for the friendly reception, the excellent organization and professional support. We were also very pleased about the spontaneous English-language guided tours of both companies for our international students.