How we visited the metallurgical plant in Asha

We must say right away that ferrous metallurgy is a combination of, at first glance, completely incompatible things. This, at the same time, is a very conservative industry - the main processes of ore mining and smelting of pig iron and steel have not changed for decades; and a high-tech, developing industry - steel microalloying technologies, rolling technologies, heat treatment are constantly improving, the range of steel grades and the final product is expanding; and incredibly spectacular and at the same time, quite closed from prying eyes - it’s not so easy for an outsider to just get into the enterprise and, especially, directly into the steelmaking shop.

Slag section of the AMZ electric arc furnace

Creating solutions for industry, we have the opportunity to go behind the scenes of production. And it is always impressive.

Last year, we completed a pilot project at the production site of AMZ PJSC, and we want to tell you about how everything works.

PJSC “Ashinsky Metallurgical Plant” is a city-forming enterprise in the Chelyabinsk region with a rich history and traditions. The history of the plant began in 1898, when the richest miners Nikolai and Ivan Balashov founded an iron smelting plant here near the station of the Asha railway station.

Today it is a modern diversified enterprise. And although the plant is small by metallurgical standards (it employs about 4.5 thousand people. For comparison: at one of the leading Russian metallurgy enterprises PJSC Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works the number of employees reaches 60 thousand people, and at medium-sized enterprises this the figure ranges from 8 to 15 thousand people), the plant annually produces approximately 650,000 tons of steel of various grades and is one of the largest producers of special alloys in Russia for the needs of defense enterprises, oil and gas, chemical, nuclear, aviation and space industries, and also has the widest range of manufactured goods of high quality for consumer consumption: metal dishes, thermoses cutlery, camping equipment,gardening tools.



The rhythm of production of the enterprise leaves its mark on the rhythm of life in the city. The plant operates in a continuous three-shift schedule - each shift begins at a clearly defined time: 8 a.m., 4 p.m. and midnight. The beginning of each shift is marked by the signal of the factory horn installed on the roof of the factory boiler room. It can be heard in any part of the city and you can check the clock on it. But on weekdays, at 7 in the morning a double signal is given. It is intended for children to wake up and begin to pack up for school. For those who are coming to Ashu for the first time, all this seems very unusual, but for locals the sound of a factory beep is an important part of life. It is used not only to measure the beginning of shifts, but also in emergency situations, the sound of a beep warns residents of the danger.
Another feature that surprises the uninitiated in the work of the electric steelmaking shop is the hum of production, which does not stop for a minute, it feels like everything around breathes the rhythm of work, not stopping for a second. This is the sound of an electric furnace. Every 1.5 hours, 120 tons of molten steel are produced from here. And it is incredibly beautiful: flashes of flame, splashes of slag, sparks of metal, the hum of a working furnace.


Unit “Ladle furnace” in operation

But with all the beauty you need to clearly understand that behind all this is a very complex process. Each smelted steel grade has its own, clearly limited chemical composition, mechanical properties and production features. The process of smelting and after-furnace treatment of steel can be compared with cooking. In order to weld stainless steel, you need to add certain ingredients (ferroalloys) to it and take into account all additional parameters (temperature, argon purge intensity, duration) and values, so as not to start “cooking borsch”, but in the end get “ear”.

The entire staff of the steelmaking shop is involved in the production of steel. A whole team goes to the eight-hour shift, each is responsible for his own part of the technological process. In addition, there are many auxiliary processes that need to be provided, such as checking the availability of equipment, monitoring its technical condition, repair work. Everything should work as a single harmonious organism. Any mistake can lead to an accident or even tragedy. In general, metallurgy employs people with a certain character set, a set of reactions, and courage. This work tempers and teaches people to make decisions quickly. In the event of an emergency, even seconds of delay can lead to disastrous consequences. For example, when the lining of a steel ladle or, even worse, an arc steel furnace is destroyed,it is necessary to instantly assess the situation and take measures, otherwise all tons of liquid steel will at best turn into a useless huge pool of cooling metal in the middle of the workshop, and in the worst case, someone will suffer.

Experience, knowledge, secrets of mastery here are passed down from generation to generation and very often from father to son. Entire dynasties work at the factory. The most common of them, including many surnames that are well known to every Ashinga, is the Voropanov-Kedin-Shlyapenkov dynasty with a total experience of 687 years at the metallurgical plant. For 381 years, the Brovkin-Kopylov dynasty has been working at the enterprise, the Svetlakovs gave 337 years to the AMZ, the Milyukovs - 236. There are dynasties that not only work as a family at the enterprise, but pass on their knowledge from generation to generation. - a vivid example is the Eremin dynasty: Victor, Igor, Eugene from father to son pass each other the post of senior operator of the mill 2850 LPC-1 (based on materials uralpress.ru/news/ekonomika/metallurgi-ashi-chestvovali-trudovye-dinastii ).



We were fortunate enough to watch how steel is made for a full two weeks, and we would compare the smelting process with art. This is similar to the performance of a symphony orchestra: everyone is responsible for their part, but at the same time you need to strictly follow the general rhythm and tonality, and then the sound will be perfect. The shift master, the steelworker and the steelworker's assistants understand each other almost without words. For example, such things were noticed: the metal is being processed, the steelworker is working behind the remote control and makes a short wave of his hand for a split second, and immediately the henchman measures the temperature and takes a metal sample for chemical analysis.

There are still moments that make art and metallurgy related: many things are smelted visually during smelting and after-furnace treatment; a steelmaker makes a conclusion about the quality of work and adjusts the process if necessary by a slight change in the color of the slag sample, sparks of the metal, fluctuations in the surface of the metal in the steel ladle. As an artist who creates work, relying on his sense of light and shadow.


Preparation for transferring the steel ladle to casting

It is a pity that metallurgy is a rather closed industry, not everyone can get into production and see it all with their own eyes. We are pleased that the projects that we are doing not only allow us to visit various industries, get to know people who are dedicated to their profession and business, but also help them by facilitating their work with modern technologies and contribute to the development and digitalization of domestic industry .

In conclusion, I want to talk about the city itself and its attractions. The first thing that immediately catches your eye when you walk along the streets of Asha is the absence of garbage.



Not just some scraps of paper or plastic, not even cigarette residues. And this applies both to the main street and the surrounding areas.



But the local flavor is still present: no, no, and there will come across some kind of burenka or goat, slowly walking on the lawn almost in the center.





There are three museums in the city, we visited them with pleasure - there is also a museum dedicated to the Ashinsky Metallurgical Plant. The exposition presents many exhibits telling about the formation and development of iron and steel production in Asha, the ways and customs of local residents. Also presented are samples of materials used in production and plant products.





The city is surrounded by mountains, which, of course, are not particularly steep and high, but the view is really very picturesque. If you ask metallurgists how they spend their free time, as a rule, in response you can hear a half-hour story about hiking in the mountains, picking mushrooms and about great fishing. In general, we have the impression that fishing and mushroom trips are like a friendly competition between metallurgists. During the changeover, after discussing the current work, there is always a story about who went where on the weekend. In general, you can talk for a very long time, but the photos will be more eloquent.