Wire-arc additive manufacturing of annealing furnace support rolls

Principal investigator: Bryan Webler

University: Carnegie Mellon University

Industry partner: US Steel

This project will investigate the feasibility of wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) to fabricate support roll end bells for steel annealing lines. Support rolls are used to guide and control steel strip. End bells enable the rolls to be inserted into bearings for rotation. There are a wide variety of end bell designs made from several different alloys by a casting process, with costs ranging from $15K-$30K, depending on the design, composition and quantity. Lead times for end bells are 4-6 months. After final assembly, furnace rolls can cost upwards of $250k and can take years to be fully fabricated. WAAM fabrication could enable production of the wide variety of end bell designs with less cracking susceptibility and shorter lead times. This project will investigate the properties of WAAM-fabricated steels and determine if we can fabricate crack-free deposits with equivalent or better properties than current end bells.