Image of yellow law enforcement line with police car and lights in the background | Photo by Getty Images
2018 file photo for illustrative purposes only of the Utah Highway Patrol responding to the scene of a crash in Washington County
GEORGE — A wrong-way driver entered Interstate 15 early Sunday morning resulting in a head-on crash that killed both drivers on impact
Corporal Quincey Breuer with the Utah Highway Patrol said at approximately 1:04 a.m.
a passenger car occupied by a single occupant entered I-15 the wrong way at exit 27
The vehicle entered the freeway southbound in the northbound lanes and approximately five miles later
struck another passenger car occupied by a single individual
“That initial vehicle that was going the wrong way struck that second vehicle head-on,” Breuer said
The crash is currently under investigation
Breuer said impairment is being looked at as a possible factor
make sure that you’re getting a designated driver,” he said
“Make that decision that if you’re going to drive — you choose to drive sober.”
Breuer said commuters should also always wear their seatbelts and obey posted speed limits
factors that have been an issue state-wide
“Speed and seat belts are the number one and two cause of fatalities on the roadways in Utah,” he said
“So those play big factors in keeping people safe.”
Cameron Roden released the identities of the two drivers who were killed as Victoria E
Schoenheide was driving a Pontiac passenger car
This report is based on statements from police and may not contain the full scope of findings
10:30 p.m.to include the identities of the two drivers
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC
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Cold temperatures and persistent COVID cases at the Utah State Prison have some family members of incarcerated individuals worried about their safety and health
According to the Utah Department of Corrections
there were 123 active COVID cases at the Utah State Prison in Draper — more than half of them were located in the women’s facility
Victoria Schoenheide’s cousin — Ambri Cazier — is currently housed at the Timpanogos Facility
Cazier was recently infected with the virus
The Utah Department of Corrections said vaccination rates at the Draper prison range from 60-92% depending on the facility
Schoenheide is concerned prisoners are getting COVID from unvaccinated staff members
Currently UDC doesn’t require vaccines for staff or inmates
though they’ve said it’s highly encouraged
Schoenheide said her cousin told her there hasn’t been any heating in the area where she’s being quarantined and there’s been a lack of disinfecting supplies for inmates
Other family members have shared similar experiences online
she is freezing and all the girls are crying because it's cold back there and she's not really happy about it,” Schoenheide said
“They are only allowed to have two blankets.”
She said she is concerned that Cazier might get more sick with the cold temperatures. Her worries were only reaffirmed with the recent health care audit released last week that found ‘systemic deficiencies’ in various parts of the prison
public information officer for the Utah State Prison
said in an email they resolved the issue the moment it was brought to their attention last week
She said there were concerns about outside doors being propped open which impact the flow of heat in the buildings
“We've addressed this and asked that doors not be propped or left open for extended periods of time
especially when temperatures are as low as they are this week,” Felsted wrote
Taecia Prows was recently released in November from the Draper prison
She is still in touch with some of the women there and said she can attest to some of those conditions
Prows said women aren’t given enough supplies to disinfect their cells or common areas
She said they are given one bottle of bleach to disinfect a whole section which can include up to 36 people
She said when she was there nothing was being sanitized as frequently as it was supposed to be
Prows said during the winter it can be freezing inside the prison
She said women are only given their uniform and no other supplies like t-shirts
“Women don't even have warm clothes if they don't have money or people helping them,” Prows said
“All they're issued is that red uniform … All that stuff has to be bought
they said we wouldn't be charged for the cough syrup that they gave me
Felsted said they are following CDC guidelines and providing cleaning supplies and disinfectants
She said confirmed cases of COVID-19 are moved into isolation
whereas individuals who may have been exposed are quarantined
The ES-Automobilguss foundry has committed an investment volume of EUR 10 million to the current modernization of its production facilities
The primary goal is to expand its portfolio of casting materials
with maximum cost efficiency in production to be achieved in line with state-of-the-art technology
First steps included the partial upgrade by OTTO JUNKER of a pouring furnace dating back from the early 1970s
The outcome impressively demonstrates that even fairly modest measures can exert a large effect
costs and maintenance needs was accomplished
ES-Automobilguss GmbH – a foundry with a long tradition based at Schönheide in the Ore Mountains region of Germany – has been earning renown as a specialist producer of differential housings made of blackheart malleable cast iron
Automotive manufacturing groups such as VW and Renault have placed their trust in castings sourced from this foundry
which has been in operation continuously for 450 years
ES-Automobilguss can supply its products directly to the assembly line
Even patternmaking is an in-house activity at Schönheide; starting from just a set of drawings
the company can handle the entire casting design
No longer in fashion: blackheart malleable cast ironUntil 2016
ES-Automobilguss enjoyed good years as a supplier to the automotive industry
it had to pay the price for its strong focus
on one casting material and branch of industry
"It became difficult for us because blackheart malleable iron just fell out of fashion
Young engineers often don't even know malleable iron any more"
Development Project Manager at ES-Automobilguss
Although he is positive that the material continues to be perfectly suitable for differential housings
it was clear to him and his team that there existed only one way out of the crisis
The company had to invest in technology while expanding its material and product range
"This is going to give us a more broad-based market presence and will enable us quickly to fulfil many customer demands.”
The path of reason: expanding the portfolioIn April 2018
Marcel Tröger and his team submitted their plans for safeguarding the foundry's future to the Prevent Group
the groundwork for mastering tomorrow's challenges is now to be laid by September 2019
Marcel Tröger views the future role of ES-Automobilguss as that of a jobbing foundry producing small lot sizes from diverse casting materials including blackheart and whiteheart malleable cast iron as well as ductile cast iron
He sees potential customers in the construction
scaffolding and agricultural industries and manufacturers of sanitary fittings
"In order to minimize investment costs in the initial phase
Our aim is to upgrade existing machinery and equipment wherever possible and practical"
He adds that the primary target now consists in gaining the ability to effectively produce the new portfolio
Partial modernization yields state-of-the-art technologyOne successful example of how a mere partial upgrade can deliver impressive results is the pouring furnace on the No
inductor and control system of this Inducal siphon-type channel furnace from the early 1970s have been preserved in their original form
the tap changing circuit for the inductor was modernized by OTTO JUNKER"
But along with the installation of a new DISA moulding line
the peripheral foundry equipment was to be upgraded to cutting-edge standard as well
so it was clear that we would work together on this again"
The centerpiece of the renovation was the metering unit
or rather the task of delivering an accurately controlled amount of melt into each mould
the pressurizing system and the entire control architecture behind it were renewed
who supervised the project on behalf of OTTO JUNKER
pouring was performed in a virtually uncontrolled manner
The foundry was prepared to tolerate overflow
Belycast system adds efficiencyAlthough individual pouring curves were stored in memory to cast different products
causing the stopper to open and close as taught
the teach-in function is still available and
is indispensable for defining start parameters
it is now supported by the Belycast automatic mould-filling system
The latter mainly consists of a stopper actuator with linear motor
operator-friendly human/machine interface (HMI)
The advantages of the stopper actuator are its high closing and opening velocity
and the fact that the linear motor is virtually wear-free
The pouring sensors are based on black & white Ethernet cameras
These units are water cooled and mounted in housings for effective protection from harsh environmental conditions
and are suitable for all sprue cup shapes and sizes from 70 to 300 mm
The Belycast system by OTTO JUNKER provides direct monitoring and closed-loop control of the pouring cycle
While the first camera captures the sprue cup
the second is directed at the surface of the mould being filled
The detected in-mould melt level can be relied upon to correct current pouring parameters
if the moulding sand quality changes due to external factors
which will affect the mould's intake capacity
the controller will take appropriate action automatically
"Our Belycast solution has been around for close to five years now and is performing well in every instance –- some 12 or 13 plants altogether," summarizes Georg Renftle
Pictures of cast moulds attest to the quality of that performance
Marcel Tröger comments: "I estimate that we are saving 10% on returns and have been able to reduce our rejects rate from around 5% to around 1%."Further advantages of the Belycast-based automated casting process consist in the optimized pour time and higher throughput
resulting in marked efficiency gains overall
Bath level control provides additional savingsScope for additional savings was identified elsewhere: in this specific channel furnace
the melt is forced into the pouring box by the pressure of nitrogen applied to the bath
the bath level control system had never really functioned properly before the modernization project
it is essential that the head pressure of the metal column remain constant at all times
To ensure that the molten iron would fill the moulds quickly enough
it had to be supplied with at least 2.5 bar on the inlet side
Only thus could the requisite level of 200 mbar in the furnace be achieved
following the installation of a new pressure controller
a float-type bath level sensor delivering an analogue output signal and proper sealing of the furnace
the pressure is around 200 mbar both on the inlet side and in the furnace
OTTO JUNKER had gone to the length of having a backup vessel shipped to Lammersdorf so as to be able to conduct its own local pressure tests as well
And since nitrogen is exceedingly energy-intensive to produce
Marcel Tröger puts the energy saved on nitrogen production at around 15 – 20 %
we got even more out of the modernization of our channel furnace then we expected
The costs should be recoverable within two years
even under the present difficult conditions
benefits have been gained in terms of reduced maintenance and markedly fewer repairs
Fit for the future as of September 2019Marcel Tröger will be glad to hear it
He and his team can now dedicate all their efforts to the modernization activities ES-Automobilguss intends to implement by September 2019
fully automated stoppered pouring ladle for the No
1 casting line and a new medium frequency coreless induction furnace system that will replace the cupola as a melting source
Both the melting furnaces and the stoppered ladle – strictly customized for ES-Automobilguss – will be supplied by OTTO JUNKER
is basically an unheated vessel that allows molten iron to be directed into the mold by raising the graphite stopper
It will be used for pouring ductile cast iron in the future
"Although we knew from experience that OTTO JUNKER will go beyond standard efforts to satisfy my wishes as a customer
we awarded our contract for the medium-frequency coreless induction furnace
a dual-furnace system with two melting crucibles and 6 tonnes capacity each
it soon emerged that OTTO JUNKER was the best choice for ES-Automobilguss as regards its offering of products and services
Marcel Tröger was particularly impressed by the advanced IGBT converter technology with its ability to change frequencies from 250 Hz to 125 Hz
The furnace is now being built at OTTO JUNKER
while at ES-Automobilguss the civil engineering work is being prepared in an existing shop building
For the on-site installation scheduled for the summer of 2019
ES-Automobilguss will once again rely on the services of local contractors – not least as a signal to the region that business is moving ahead at Schönheide
one of the furnace bodies will be put on exhibit for visitors to view up close in OTTO JUNKER's booth at the upcoming GIFA 2019
ES-Automobilguss has paved the way for conquering new fields of business once again
Growth in output of whiteheart malleable castings is already on the horizon for the second half of this year
ES-Automobilguss is committed to achieving profitability again as early as in 2020
The outlook for this target appears favourable
as the company has modernized reasonably and with measure and purpose
proceeding with caution and a close eye on costs
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At Eisenwerke Erzgebirge 1566 GmbH based in Schönheide/Germany
the new OTTO JUNKER medium-frequency coreless induction furnace system has been put into operation
The company has a long-standing tradition and is a source of high-grade castings for the automotive industry
With its new coreless furnaces the company aims to safeguard its viability in tomorrow's markets and intends to establish itself as a supplier of grey cast iron and spheroidal graphite iron (SGI) products
Its stated goal is to become a flexible contract foundry producing small lot sizes of castings in whiteheart and blackheart malleable iron
The new melting furnace system consists of two 6,000 kg furnaces operated in tandem off a 4,800 kW converter
The DUOMELT set-up allows for an infinitely variable power split between the two furnaces
The converter employed features modern IGBT modules
enabling the plant to run with a constantly high power factor (cos phi = 1.0 at the converter input)
Multi-Frequency technology (250 Hz /125 Hz) provides a melt stirring capability for carburizing and alloying work
Automatic process management is provided on the basis of a JOKS touch control system in this application
The bidirectionally tiltable extractor hood collects the fumes released in the melting process
An OCP (Optical Coil Protection) system is fitted for continuous monitoring of the temperature on the inside of the coil
This ensures an early detection of crucible defects and prevents coil damage and melt breakthrough
The furnaces are mechanically filled with the necessary raw materials by means of the charging machines
This solution improves operator safety on the one hand while also facilitating an optimum utilization of the furnace‘s melting capacity due to adjustability of the charging speed.
The pouring process is fully automated thanks to the use of the 1.2 tonne stoppered ladle that was part of OTTO JUNKER‘s scope of supply
The system distinguishes itself by high ease of maintenance and hence
It thus impressively demonstrates the level of equipment technology available from OTTO JUNKER today