Importance

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Abstract

This invention relates to a process for producing a cold rolled, recrystallation annealed, stainless steel strip having lustrous surfaces without being hot band annealed and/or pickled prior to cold reduction. The process includes the sequential steps of tension leveling to crack the scale and flatten a hot processed metal strip, shot blasting the strip to ablatively remove the scale and to provide a surface roughness less than 3.6 micron Ra using at least two pairs of wire brushes positioned adjacent to both surfaces of the strip with these cleaning brushes being rotated in opposite directions relative to each other to mechanically remove any residual scale. The mechanically cleaned strip then is mechanically polished with another pair of brushes to reduce the roughness to less than 2.0 micron Ra, cold reduced to have a surface roughness less than 0.4 micron Ra and recrystallization annealed. The particulate shot has a size of 0.10-0.50 mm. The cleaning brushes have a surface density of at least 12% unit square surface area and the bristles of the cleaning brushes have a tip diameter of 0.13-0.50 mm.

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First Claim