Category Archives: Germany

A Farewell To Steel Making In Bochum

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A history of more than 170 years of steel making ended in Bochum, Germany in late June when the Nirosta stainless steel plant was closed for good.
The original BOF shop was built in 1957 by the Bochumer Verein to be only the second of it’s kind in Germany.
In 1972, after the closure of the blast furnace site both vessels were transformed into AOD converters and an electric arc furnace was installed in the same building to produce stainless steel.
In 1982 a huge new 135 MVA electric arc melt shop was attached and the old EAF was replaced by a ladle furnace.
I payed the site a final visit before the demolition started.

 

82000 KW

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TKS Warmbreitband

installed motor capacity makes the ThyssenKrupp hot strip mill in Bochum  the most powerful rolling mill in Germany. Though the mill was already planned in the early 1960ies by the Bochumer Verein steel corporation it wasn’t until 1966, after the takeover by the Fried. Krupp company, that the mill was put into operation.
The mill is capable of rolling even high alloyed speciality steel.
After the closure of the adjacent Nirosta steel mill all primary material now comes from the August Thyssen Hütte in Duisburg.
Images now at stahlseite.

Narrow Strip Mill

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After more than 10 years I visited my hometown’s unique narrow strip mill again.
Images now at Stahlseite.
The rolling mill in Hohenlimburg, now part of the city of Hagen/Germany, was founded in 1846 and goes back to the old Böing  forge, a descendant of this family later founded the Boing aircraft company in Seattle, USA.
The mill produced wire and later hot strip.
In 1907 the site was taken over by the Hoesch steel company from Dortmund.
In the 20th century numerous cold rolling , wire drawing and steel spring manufacturers were taken over.
In 1955 the new narrow strip mill started it’s production.The Hohenlimburg site was fusioned with Schwerter Profileisenwalzwerke AG in 1969. This rolling mill was sold to the Italian Calvi group in 2005.
The Hohenlimburg plant is now part of ThyssenKrupp Steel.

Georgsmarienhütte, Revisited

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The steel mill in Georgsmarienhütte, Germany was founded on local iron ore deposits in 1856.
The first blast furnace was installed in 1858.
In 1885 the plant merged with the nearby steel mill in Osnabrück.
An open hearth shop was built in 1904.
In 1923 the site became part of the Klöckner-Werke AG.
A third blast furnace and a second open hearth shop went into production in 1952.
The bar rolling mill number 6 was comissioned in 1965.
In 1982 a coal based (KS-) converter replaced the last open hearth furnaces.
The Osnabrück site was closed in 1987.
In 1994 the last blast furnace (no. 3) was clsed down and a new 130 ton DC-electric arc furnace replaced the KS-converter.
Further images.

Wheels Of Steel

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The rolling mill in Königswinter, Germany was built in 1957 by the Lemmerz Werke GmbH
producing wide flats for car wheels.
In 1997 Lemmerz merged with the U.S. based Hayes Wheels International company to form Hayes Lemmerz.
In 2010 the rolling mill was outsourced and proceeded under the new name “Warmwalzwerk Königswinter”.
Images here.

Steel Foundry

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The steel foundry in Wetterzeube, Germany was founded in 1909 named „Stahlwerk Staeglich und Haberkorn Wetterzeube“. The foundry operated a cupola furnace and two crucible furnaces. These were replaced by an open hearth melt shop in 1921.
After the war the Wetterzeube works were nationalized and became part of the “VEB Stahlgiesserei Elstertal Silbitz” foundry combine in 1955.
In 1985 a 5 ton electric arc furnace, built in the 1950ies and relocated from Bösdorf near Leipzig, was installed.
After the privatization the Wetterzeube foundry became part of the GEW Gestaguss group from Velbert, Germany.
Images now at Stahlseite.

TKS Heavy Plate Mill, Duisburg

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The heavy plate mill in Duisburg-Hüttenheim, Germany was built by the Mannesmann company in 1963 to supply plates to their adjecent large diameter pipe welding mill (closed in 1978).
In 1970 the August Thyssen Hütte AG took over the flat rolling business from Mannesmann.
In 1978 the Sack company installed the 3,9 meter four-high rolling stand still in use today.
Images now at Stahlseite.