Open Access

Johannes Lamm, Olfa Kanoun, Thomas Wendt

• In this paper the thermo-mechanical impact on a robotic measurement lance deployed in electric arc furnaces is shown. While robotic automation enhances safety in steelmaking environments, the thermal loads experienced during the melting process imposes critical constraints on process reliability. A coupled finite element analysis is utilized to simulate the transient thermal response, structuralIn this paper the thermo-mechanical impact on a robotic measurement lance deployed in electric arc furnaces is shown. While robotic automation enhances safety in steelmaking environments, the thermal loads experienced during the melting process imposes critical constraints on process reliability. A coupled finite element analysis is utilized to simulate the transient thermal response, structural deformation, and modal shifts of the end-effector throughout a measurement cycle. The study reveals that the intense heating process causes substantial longitudinal expansion and induces a distinct reduction in dynamic stiffness due to material softening. These thermo-structural alterations result in significant deviations of the tool center point and a pronounced susceptibility to residual vibrations. It is demon- strated that due to these geometric and dynamic shifts, a direct, automatic pickup of a new measurement cartridge immediately following a cycle is not feasible with standard motion param- eters. The results highlight the necessity for predictive thermal compensation models to enable reliable, automated consecutive measurements.…