Runout Table

The runout table is the long conveyor system located between the last finishing stand of the hot strip mill and the coiler. While it looks like a simple transport system, it is actually a sophisticated cooling laboratory. As the red-hot strip travels at high speeds, hundreds of water jets (laminar flow headers) spray the steel. This controlled cooling determines the steel's final mechanical properties. For "Drawing Steel" grades used in complex tube shapes, the cooling rate on the runout table is adjusted to create a specific microstructure (usually fine-grained ferrite and pearlite). If the cooling is uneven, the steel develops internal stresses that cause the tube to "twist" or "bow" after it is slit and formed.