Design and Structural Optimization of the Electric Arc Furnace Through a Mechatronic-Integrated Modeling Activity

Vibration of electrodes in operation strongly affects the efficiency of the electric arc furnace (EAF) fed by ac current during the steel smelting process. Therefore, an effective control of the structural dynamics through an active system is a current goal of the “intelligent manufacturing” approach. A vertical position control applied to each electrode allows keeping the arc length almost constant and reduces the effects of some electromechanical actions due to the mutual magnetic induction among the three electric phases. Nevertheless, control action needs for a detailed model of the whole system dynamic behavior. A new method for modeling the equipment behavior and somehow the process was implemented. A key issue was including into the model all the electromechanical coupling effects occurring in this system and suitably linking to the structural dynamics. Modeling activity was performed by resorting to the multibody dynamics and the finite-element method, while some analytical formulations were used to describe both the electric arc behavior and the control. A preliminary validation on a real plant was performed as far as the huge size of the system allowed and an assessment of the mechanical design of the EAF was completed.