Steel Metallurgy

There is a wide variety of metallurgical equipment, all of which are fitted with various 

types of bearings. These bearings are used under operating conditions specific to 

metallurgical equipment—namely ‘iron dust’, ‘water’ and ‘heat’—and must 

also withstand conditions such as ‘heavy loads combined with vibration and impact’ 

and ‘rapid acceleration and deceleration from ultra-low to high speeds’, operating 

under extremely harsh conditions.

The steelmaking process is extremely demanding; equipment must operate in environments 

with temperatures as high as 3,000°C, loads of 3,000 tonnes, extremely slow oscillations, 

peak loads and vibrations. Every day, it faces high temperatures, large volumes of cooling 

water and high impact forces, whilst also having to cope with ever-increasing production 

demands and the challenge of maintaining or even improving the quality of finished products. 

At the same time, operators face pressure to reduce unit costs, improve product quality and 

minimise environmental impact; for an industry where ensuring reliable, safe daily production 

is already difficult, these challenges are formidable. whilst simultaneously overcoming daily 

challenges involving high precision, heavy loads, high speeds and corrosive coolants; 

reducing unplanned downtime and production interruptions; lowering labour and spare parts 

costs; extending maintenance intervals; and eliminating the need for manual lubrication at 

lubrication points in harsh operating environments, thereby reducing risks and accidents.