Pitt Hosts International Steel Conference June 3-7

PITTSBURGH, May 31 -- The University of Pittsburgh will host the Iron & Steel Society's international conference, "IF Steels 2000," June 3-7, 2000.

A.J. Deardo, professor of materials science and engineering at Pitts' School of Engineering and organizing chair of the conference, says that the conference will review the evolution of interstitial-free (IF) steel, and suggest improvements to ensure the industry's growth in the face of stiff competition from other materials.

"IF steels have enjoyed impressive growth during the last 10 years, as manufacturers have discovered that they perform superbly in the plant, fabrication shop, and particularly in vehicles," said Deardo. "But steelmakers must adopt a philosophy of continual improvement if IF steels are to survive in a highly competitive market."

Conference attendees will include professionals involved in production, fabrication, assembly, research, development, and quality assurance, as well as suppliers, academics, and students. Workshops and lectures will update attendees on:

• how performance and quality are affected by changes in composition and production methods;

• how different processes change the formability of the steels;

• how to improve the surface quality of auto parts;

• how to reduce the variability of hot rolled and cold rolled gauges; and

• how to optimize the properties of final gauge hot bands.

Presenters include researchers in academia and industry from the United States, Japan, China, Taiwan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Korea, Belgium, Turkey, Russia, Sweden, Canada, and Austria.

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