Mid City Steel Corp

U

Unfair Trade Suit

A type of lawsuit filed by U.S. companies against their foreign counterparts in response to imports at prices being lower than
those in the prices in the U.S. market. Sanctions can be imposed by the ITC and the Commerce Department on foreign
producers involved in dumping and government subsidization, if domestic manufacturers can prove material injury.

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V

Vacuum Degassing

An advanced steel refining facility that removes oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen under low pressures (in a vacuum) to produce
ultra-low-carbon steel for demanding electrical and automotive applications. Normally performed in the ladle, the removal of
dissolved gases results in cleaner, higher quality, more pure steel (see Ladle Metallurgy).

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Vacuum Oxygen Decarburization (VOD)

What?

Process for further refinement of stainless steel through reduction of carbon content.

Why?

The amount of carbon in stainless steel must be lower than that in carbon steel or lower alloy steel (i.e., steel with alloying
element content below 5%). While electric arc furnaces (EAF) are the conventional means of melting and refining stainless
steel, VOD is an economical supplement, as operating time is reduced and temperatures are lower than in EAF steelmaking.
Additionally, using VOD for refining stainless steel increases the availability of the EAF for melting purposes.

How?

Molten, unrefined steel is transferred from the EAF into a separate vessel, where it is heated and stirred by an electrical
current while oxygen enters from the top of the vessel. Substantial quantities of undesirable gases escape from the steel and
are drawn off by a vacuum pump. Alloys and other additives are then mixed in to refine the molten steel further.

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W

Walking Beam Furnace

A hot strip mill reheat furnace where the slab is repeatedly lifted and set down at a more forward point in the furnace; this is in
contrast to a batch reheat furnace or a pusher-type reheat furnace.

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Welding

The process of joining together two pieces of metal so that bonding accompanied by appreciable interatomic penetration
takes place at their original boundary surfaces. The boundaries more or less disappear at the weld, and integrating crystals
develop across them. Welding is carried out by the use of heat or pressure or both and with or without added metal. There are
many types of welding including Metal Arc, Atomic Hydrogen, Submerged Arc, Resistance Butt, Flash, Spot, Stitch, Stud and
Projection.

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Wheelabrating, Shotblasting, and Bead Blasting

Involves pressure blasting metal grid into carbon steel products to remove rust and scale from the surface.

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Wire

A long product that is from 0.030 inch (0.76 mm) to ź inch (6.35 mm) in diameter, in round, square, octagonal, or hexagonal
cross-sections.

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Yield

The ratio of the amount of product compared with the amount of material input to a process or group of processes.

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