THE FUNDAMENTALS OF STEELMAKING & STEEL MANUFACTURING PROCESSES - TRAINING COURSE

From ore to order—master the fundamentals of steelmaking and steel manufacture!

COURSE OVERVIEW

This definitive steelmaking & steel manufacturing course is suitable for candidates at all levels, including those new to steelmaking & steel manufacturing, as no specific qualification entry requirements are needed. 

Candidates also receive a comprehensive, full-colour Training Handbook that serves as both a course guide and a valuable reference tool after completion of the course. 

There are also numerous instructive videos to help explain the manufacturing processes covered on the course.

The course is completed by flexible self study, so candidates can start and progress through the training at anytime, anywhere & at their own pace. No need to wait for course dates for classroom-based or online training courses and no need to pay travelling expenses & to spend time away paying for hotels & other living expenses. All course materials would be posted & e-mailed to the candidate. Total estimated self study time required to complete the course is 15 hours. 

We also offer on-site training at client's premises. Please Contact Us for a quotation.

Course Tutor: Philip Bralsford CEng MIMMM MWeldI MMet MBA

Philip is a highly accomplished metallurgist & materials engineer, welding & quality management professional, with decades of experience in the industry. With an excellent academic background, including a Master of Metallurgy in Advanced Metallurgy from the University of Sheffield, his steelmaking & steel manufacturing career has been marked by significant contributions to leading steel manufacturing firms such as British Steel, Sheffield Forgemasters and Corus, where he has played a pivotal role in the development of steelmaking & steel manufacturing processes. 

Core knowledge gained

• Production routes and process steps: primary steelmaking, secondary refining, continuous casting, rolling, heat treatment and downstream process stages.

• Chemistry and cleanliness drivers: how alloying, deoxidation and refining influence final composition and inclusion content.

• Solidification and microstructure: how casting and rolling routes set grain structure & segregation.

• Defect causation: origins of segregation, inclusions, porosity, hot and cold cracking and their links to process parameters.

Practical skills gained

• Metallographic interpretation: reading microstructures and relating features to processing history.

• Test-data interpretation: extracting meaning from tensile, hardness and toughness results and from chemical analyses to verify conformance.

Standards familiarity

• Applying national and industry standards: to set acceptance criteria, sampling protocols and documentation that support auditable quality systems.

Outcomes and workplace impact

• Competence to assess steel and stainless material quality, identify likely root causes of failure and recommend practical, standards‑based controls.

• Operational value through reduced scrap, improved first‑pass yield, clearer traceability and stronger technical input to procurement, production and inspection decisions.

Who benefits

• Engineers, metallurgists, laboratory technicians, quality managers, welding and fabrication supervisors, inspectors, procurement or production staff and new starters seeking a practical, industry‑focused grounding in steelmaking and steel manufacturing processes.

For a complete list of topics covered on the course, see further down the page under the heading: 'COURSE CONTENT.'

SELF STUDY TRAINING COURSE

Our self study training course provides a cost-effective & flexible route for candidates to start & progress through the training at anytime, anywhere & at their own pace.

Total estimated self study time required to complete the course is 15 hours. 

The start date  for the training would follow receipt of payment of the course fees. 

All course materials would be posted & e-mailed to the candidate, including a comprehensive, full-colour Training Handbook which is posted & which serves as an excellent reference document following completion of the training. There are also links to instructional videos to explain some of the concepts presented in the course.

To complete the course, the candidate works through the Training Handbook. During their progression through the course, the candidate also has the option to request a tutorial session with the course tutor of up to 2 hours duration. The aim of the session, which would be arranged online or by phone, would be to review any issues the candidate may have on their understanding of the course material.

CERTIFICATION

Candidates are assessed on the training by an ASSESSMENT and those who achieve the required standard will be awarded a CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT & CPD 15 HOURS.

SELF STUDY COURSE BOOKING FORM

Course Fees: £750 per person, inclusive of a comprehensive, full colour Training Handbook & all Assessment & Certification fees.

Please click on the LINK to download and complete the SELF STUDY booking form if you would like to make a booking, or Contact Us if you require any further information. 

COURSE CONTENT

§  WHAT IS STEEL?

§  IMPORTANCE OF PRODUCT STANDARDS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STEEL PRODUCTS:

§  BS EN ISO TERMINOLOGY

§  ASTM / ASME TERMINOLOGY

§  UNS NUMBERING SYSTEM

§  STEEL PRODUCT STANDARDS & GRADES:

Hot Rolled Products of Structural Steels

Concrete Reinforcing Carbon Steels to BS 4449

Pipeline Steels

Low Alloy & Alloy Steels

Pressure Vessel Steels

§  DEFINITION OF STEELMAKING

§  PRIMARY STEELMAKING:

§  FROM IRON ORE: BLAST FURNACE (BF) & BASIC OXYGEN STEELMAKING (BOS) PROCESSES

§  FROM SCRAP & DRI: ELECTRIC ARC FURNACE (EAF) PROCESS

§  DEVELOPMENTS IN LOW CARBON EMISSIONS STEELMAKING: 'GREEN' STEELMAKING

§  COMPARISON OF QUALITY BETWEEN BF / BOS PROCESSED STEEL & EAF PROCESSED STEEL

§  BENEFITS OF SECONDARY STEELMAKING PROCESSING:

§  DEOXIDATION

§  ALLOYING ADDITIONS

§  TEMPERATURE CONTROL

§  INCLUSION FLOTATION & REMOVAL

§  VACUUM TREATMENT & REMOVAL OF DISSOLVED GASES (HYDROGEN & NITROGEN) 

§  HYDROGEN & HYDROGEN EMBRITTLEMENT

§  SULPHUR REMOVAL

§  CARBON REMOVAL

§  HIGH INTEGRITY MELTING PROCESSES: VACUUM INDUCTION MELTING (VIM)

§  STAINLESS STEEL STEELMAKING (AOD & VOD PROCESSES)

§  SEMI-FINISHED CASTING PROCESSES:

§  CONTINOUS CASTING OF SLABS; BLOOMS; BILLETS

§  INGOT CASTING

§  SOLIDIFICATION STRUCTURES IN CAST PRODUCTS:

§  DENDRITES

§  COLUMNAR GRAINS

§  EQUIAXED GRAINS

§  MICROSEGREGATION & MACRO SEGREGATION IN CAST PRODUCTS & SULPHUR PRINTING 

§  IMPORTANCE OF SUPERHEAT & EFFECT ON CAST PRODUCT QUALITY

§  DETERMINATION OF LIQUIDUS TEMPERATURE

§ HIGH INTEGRITY SEMI-FINISHED CAST PRODUCT MANUFACTURE (ESR & VAR REMELTING PROCESSES) 

§ METHODS OF IMPROVING THE FATIGUE LIFE OF STEEL PRODUCTS

§  HOT WORKING PROCESSES:

§  HOT ROLLING OF PLATES, SECTIONS, BEAMS, RAILS, WIRE ROD

§  PIPE & TUBE MANUFACTURE

§  FORGING (OPEN DIE & CLOSED DIE FORGING PROCESSES)

§  COLD WORKING PROCESSES:

§  COLD ROLLING OF STRIP STEELS

§  SHEET METAL FORMING

§  ROLLFORMING PROCESS

§  WIRE DRAWING PROCESS

§  BRIGHT BAR MANUFACTURE

§  CASTING PROCESSES:

§  SAND CASTING

§  INVESTMENT CASTING 

§  CENTRIFUGAL CASTING

§  HEAT TREATMENT OF STEEL

§  MACHINING PROCESSES

§  ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING PROCESSES

§  PRINCIPLES OF THE HARDFACING, CORROSION PROTECTION & FIRE PROTECTION OF STEEL:

§  Carburising or Case hardening 

§  Nitriding 

§  Flame hardening & Induction hardening 

§  TiN Coatings 

§  Hardide ® Coatings  

§  Weld Overlays / Cladding 

§  Flame Spraying

§  Painting & Galvanising

§  Electroplating

SAMPLE FEEDBACK ON OUR TRAINING

'I`d like to say a big thank you for putting together a course that not only has excellent reference books to work from, but also enabled me to study when I had time. I`m sure the books will be put to good use in the future.'

'Our Engineers have found the course and its subject material very informative and helpful as two engineers relatively new to welding. They have also found the material very well presented and easy to follow.'

'It's been done in a way that's understandable for people who already have some knowledge and for those who don't, It's learnable and understandable.'

'I think there is very little or almost nothing to improve, as the course is very well designed, built and the Tutor is very experienced.'

'Thank you Philip for your time. I've enjoyed the course a lot and after meeting with you, I've learnt even more about the role of an RWC. Thank you again for your feedback on where we need to be and I will continue to make a great effort to learn more.'

‘I felt the course material was invaluable. I came away with a complete understanding simply because it was written by somebody who clearly understood their subject area. I look forward to studying again with Philip.’

Purchase the Training Handbook

You can also purchase separately the full-colour, Training Handbook for this course.

Please Contact Us if you would like to order a copy.

Purchase the Digital Course Materials

We also offer for purchase the digital course materials that would enable training providers provide their own training in 'The Fundamentals of Steelmaking & Steel Manufacturing Processes.'

When purchasing the digital course materials, you would receive all course materials in digital form, including a comprehensive Microsoft 365 POWERPOINT PRESENTATION, as well as all Assessments for the course. 

The PowerPoint presentation also facilitates a TRAINING HANDBOOK for the course to be printed.

All digital files are also editable to enable you to apply your own branding to the course materials. 

Please Contact Us for a quotation if you are interested in purchasing the digital course materials.