ELPIT-The Electric Soaking Pit

Abstract

Tills paper deals with the history, development and present status of the electric soaking pits. The general aspects will be brought out and to some extent be compl-emented by reference to various installations which are now operating. A historic summary will have to start with the earliest type of unheated soaking pits which depended on the excess temperature of the steel ingots when charged. The incon-venience of these pits caused them eventually to be dropp-ed in favour of fuel tired pits as production rose and the steel making units increased in size. Transport problems, scheduling and specialisation have in some cases lead to the practice of letting ingots go cold to be reheated later for rolling.