1. History of pickling and rolling

1.1 Technological developments in paint stripping systems

The use of sulfuric acid to pickle oxidized sheet metal leaf by leaf did not begin until around 1806; in 1850, hot-rolled plate was pickled by acid dipping in lead pans for one hour at 40°C, with agitation. This process was later improved by the use of carousels with plunging baskets [1] .

The advent in the United States in 1923 of the first continuous hot strip mill for the production of sheet in coils led to the development of horizontal continuous sulfur pickling lines, in order to accommodate the very substantial increase in production from this new type of rolling mill. The continuous pickling process essentially involves mechanically...