| Among those involved in the UOW/Baosteel collaboration are (foregroun... Among those involved in the UOW/Baosteel collaboration are (foreground, from left) Dr Dongbin Wei (UOW), Mr Aiwen Zhang (Baosteel), Professor Kiet Tieu (UOW), Associate Professor Zhengyi Jiang (UOW), Ms Junxia Huang (Baosteel) and Mr Joe Abbott (UOW). |
UOW forges strategic research alliance with world leading steel manufacturer
4 Jun 2008 | Kate McIlwain
A research collaboration that has significant potential to improve the quality and production rate of stainless steel rolling has been established by UOW with Baosteel -- one of the world’s largest steel manufacturers in Shanghai, China.
The collaboration developed by Associate Professor Zhengyi Jiang and Professor Kiet Tieu from the School of Mechanical, Material and Mechatronic Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering is seen as further boosting UOW’s international reputation as a research leader in the area of steel processing.
The collaboration was initiated by Baosteel after their senior staff attended a keynote address delivered by Professor Jiang at the 3rd International Symposium on Advanced Structural Steel and New Rolling Technologies in Shenyang China in December 2005.
Subsequent discussions by Professor Jiang and Professor Tieu with the senior executive of Baosteel including the Director of its Research Institute over 2006 led to Baosteel funding Professor Jiang and Professor Tieu for US$180,000. This was to conduct applied industrial research in the area of ‘friction in hot rolling of stainless steel’ over 27 months (2007-2009). It was the largest amount that Baosteel has awarded to an overseas institution in 2007.
The research focuses on the tribology (the friction and wear between, and the lubrication of, interacting surfaces in relative motion) during the rolling process on the 1780mm stainless steel hot strip production line at Baosteel. It also specifically looks at measures to improve the quality and production rate of many grades of stainless steels.
Professor Jiang said that all of the major steel corporations around the world have found hot rolling of stainless steel a very complicated process, and very difficult to control to ensure optimum capacity and quality.
Nevertheless Professor Jiang, Professor Tieu and the research team comprising of UOW and Baosteel staff have already managed to identify practical results in the oxidisation behaviour of stainless steels which is leading to the establishment of an accurate control model to produce high quality stainless steel products.
“This breakthrough modelling has enormous potential for stainless steel production internationally,” Professor Jiang said.
Two senior researchers Mr Aiwen Zhang from the Baosteel Research Institute and Dr Junxia Huang from the Stainless Steel Plant at Baosteel are currently spending 12 months at UOW to conduct this important work with Professor Jiang, Professor Tieu and other research staff from the School.
UOW’s Director of Transnational Programs, Mr Bill Damachis, has worked with Professor Jiang and Professor Tieu to develop and expand this important collaboration with Baosteel.
“This is the first time Baosteel has agreed to undertake such important research activities with any institution outside of China which is testimony to the importance of the work being undertaken in steel rolling technology at UOW,” Mr Damachis said.
Other UOW initiatives are also being explored with Baosteel include further applied research projects involving staff from both organisations; the training of Baosteel employees at UOW; and the recruitment of UOW graduates to work at Baosteel’s Shanghai operations.
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