Steel mill flooring - an eight-year case study at mittal IH7 blast furnace

A study was carried out to analyze the economic aspects of one of the first thermal floor tile applications at Mittal Steel Indiana Harbor's No.7 blast furnace, during a time period of eighty years. The blast furnace floor at Mittal was situated on a bed of torpedo sand and the installation process started with excavation of the existing floor to a depth of 6.5 inches. The initial study and detailed engineering and planning concentrated on the comparisons between traditional floorings and modular floorings. The next cost, which was taken into account included replacement materials, demolition, transportation, and temporary equipment such as heavy lifting equipment and manpower for the installation. The removal of remaining flooring was considered an equally important step, which was often underestimated. The installation of the pre-fired floor tile system was proved to be instrumental in reducing the safety problems of vehicle traffic on hazardous flooring.