Thursday 10 February 2022 from 15.00 – 16.00 CET.

In partnership with PV Magazine, ArcelorMittal will hold a webinar on sustainability and the CO2 footprint reduction of solar mounting structures.

Sustainability and the environmental impact of PV plants is fast climbing up the agenda. Indeed, it is becoming increasingly essential to consider the entire life cycle of PV when making decisions about materials and products. For PV plants, mounting systems have a key role to play in improving solar’s green credentials, from the perspective of both projects and companies.

Steel: the material of choice, including Magnelis®

Steel is the material of choice when it comes to mounting systems due to its relative low cost, robustness, infinite recyclability potential, and its long-term durability when combined with the latest generation of protective coatings against corrosion. Given these benefits, and combined with new production technologies, the use of steel will continue to grow in popularity when it comes to the engineering and manufacturing of mounting structures with a minimised environmental footprint.

Backing up these assertions, PV Magazine webinar partner, ArcelorMittal, a leading supplier of steel and a major actor in the solar industry, will talk about its foray into the world of low CO2 steel and present solutions to improve mounting structure design, durability, and environmental impact.

One of the company’s focusses is to promote the adoption of higher strength steel products which have the potential to reduce the weight of components by up to 30% via structural design optimisation to reduce costs and, simultaneously, lower CO2 emissions.

ArcelorMittal is also continuing to strengthen the corrosion resistance of its Magnelis® coated steel to increase the lifetime of solar investments. Complementing this, is the product’s design and manufacturing process, which uses fewer natural resources and generates less run-off in soil and water, among other benefits.

Creating a circular steel economy with XCarb®

Overall, ArcelorMittal’s goal is to create a circular steel economy. To achieve this, it has launched its XCarb® programme, and has already earmarked 10 billion USD to reduce its European CO2 emissions intensity by 35% by 2030 and be carbon neutral by 2050. The programme encompasses circular carbon and carbon storage projects and clean power generation. It further aims to use hydrogen instead of natural gas in the direct reduction of iron ore (DRI).

Webinar content

Join ArcelorMittal Europe’s Jérôme Guth, Solar Segment Leader, Corinne Dieu, Product leader for Metallic Coated Steels, and Hugo Campos, Sustainable Development Manager, to discover steel solutions that not only offer environmental benefits and improved durability but that can also make a significant step in achieving the sustainability goals required for your business and our planet.

Topics will include:

•    The benefits of Magnelis® coated steel for increasing durability, including for foundations in soils or concrete
•    The benefits of high strength steel, in terms of weight, cost, and CO2 footprint reduction
•    Additional benefits in terms of preservation of natural resources and processability
•    Reducing steel’s CO2 footprint and boosting sustainability credentials via such steps as using recycled materials, electric furnaces, implementing circular carbon technologies, and using renewable electricity
•    XCarb® Green steel certificates and associated customer benefits

Text:
ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Constructalia

Images:
PV Magazine
CWF

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Registration

Innovation in grain silo design: SiloMasters, renowned maker of agricultural storage solutions, has introduced Magnelis®, a high protection coated steel, into its grain silo range.

Lower weight thanks to high strength steels

High-strength, high performance galvanised steel up to S450GD has always been a prerequisite for SiloMasters’ flat bottom and hopper silos. This steel, which has a high elastic limit, allows the manufacturer to reduce the weight of its silo products and accessories, which is advantageous for the logistics, assembly, and handling of components - and which also extends the life of the products. Magnelis® is the natural next innovative step in performance for SiloMasters.

Magnelis® extends the silos' lifetime...

Introducing the Magnelis® ZM430 coating into its silo range has provided SiloMasters with the additional advantage of outstanding corrosion resistance, a self-healing effect ensuring excellent edge protection, and up to 25-year guarantees. The corrosion resistance of Magnelis® is three times better than galvanised steel, measured using outdoor tests.

Miguel-Angel Barrio, SiloMasters’ CEO, comments: “Extending the lifetime of our silos, especially in harsh environments like ports, was our major objective. With Magnelis® ZM430 replacing HDG600 (Z600), together with the services of ArcelorMittal Distribución Iberia and strong technical support of ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products, we have a very powerful and convincing offer for our customers”.

...and ensures innovation and the highest quality

The Magnelis® coating layer is unique in that the molten bath includes zinc, 3.5% aluminium, and 3% magnesium. This compact layer acts as a barrier to corrosion, preventing the underlying steel from coming into contact with the ambient environment and giving the coating its excellent protection characteristics, even in deformed areas.

Quality is fundamental to SiloMasters’ vision to be the leading supplier of agricultural silos. Incorporating the Magnelis® metallic coating into its products will help ensure that this company can continue to innovate, offering the highest quality to its customers.

“ArcelorMittal’s accelerated tests and long exposure in real farm context have demonstrated the outstanding corrosion performance of Magnelis® for farms,” adds Miguel-Angel Barrio. “The product also meets the requirements of EC Regulation 1935/2004, so it is food safe,” he adds. “We are proud to make use of this innovative new material in our products.”

About Magnelis® for agriculture

Due to the hostile environment in which it operates, agricultural equipment and infrastructure is particularly subject to corrosion from several sources. These include moisture and harsh weather, farm animals, manure, fertilisers, and corrosive farming products of all kinds. This challenging environment is ideally suited to the application of the Magnelis® steel coating with its outstanding corrosion resistance. In addition, a high surface hardness makes Magnelis® scratch resistant, protecting it from animal scratches and the abrasive effect of grain on the coating.

About SiloMasters

SiloMasters manufactures and supplies storage solutions for the agricultural, biomass, malting, feed mills, and cereals trading and milling sectors.  Its grain storage systems combine the latest technical advances in 3D design, finite element analysis, and structural calculations.

The state-of-the-art SiloMasters factory in Borja, Zaragoza, Spain exports 95% of its products around the world, giving the engineers at SiloMasters a detailed understanding of the regulatory environments across five continents.

More information: silomasters.eu

Text:
ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Constructalia

Images:
SiloMasters
ArcelorMittal
Didier Bridoux

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Across Europe, standing seam roofs are a key feature in the landscape of many cities and towns. Made from flexible metals, they are an ideal solution for the odd-shaped roofs of apartment blocks and public buildings where every millimetre of space under the roof is utilised. The standing seam provides a high level of resistance to wind and excellent watertightness, making it a popular roofing solution today. Organic coated steels such as the Granite® HFX Cool range from ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products offer the necessary pliability, combined with a hard-wearing finish that is guaranteed for up to 20 years. Bevego, a leading provider of roofing solutions and equipment for the Swedish market, recently started utilising the latest product in the range – Granite® HFX Cool Matt.

Standing seam roofing

Traditional standing seams are formed from strips of metal which are laid vertically down the roof. The standing seam is formed by bending up the edge of a strip and folding it over, together with the edge of the neighbouring strip. The result is a double standing seam which is totally weatherproof.

Roofing complexity demands ductility

“To achieve the double standing seam, roofers need flexible materials,” says Johan Cronhamn, business area manager for Bevego. “For complicated roofs with lots of dormer windows and chimneys, the work has to be done on site and at height. Granite® HFX Cool Matt handles well and can be formed at temperatures down to -10°C – a key consideration when it comes to the Swedish climate!”

Traditionally, standing seam roofs were made with copper and zinc – metals which are initially bright but become duller over time. In the early 2000s, materials with a gloss finish became more popular. Over the last few years, the market has switched back, explains Johan Cronhamn: “There is a strong preference now for low-gloss roofing. The steel is bent and pressed into shape on the roof and the matt colour disguises any minor marks. That is another reason for the growing popularity of Granite® HFX Cool Matt.”

Magnelis® – the new material for standing seams

Bevego has also been working with a sister company to develop roadside safety equipment out of Magnelis® coated steels from ArcelorMittal. From autumn 2021 they will start to use Magnelis® for standing seam roofs. “Architects like the patina that darkens over time, and Magnelis® has minimal reflectivity, making it suitable for low buildings,” says Johan Cronhamn.

“The Magnelis® we use in roadside applications has a thickness of around 3.0 mm, and it is able to withstand the very corrosive effects of road salts,” notes Johan Cronhamn. “In roofing applications, we will use it in a thickness of 0.6 mm. That will provide the material flexibility roofers need, and long-term protection against corrosion.”

About Bevego

Bevego is a leading provider of sheet metal, ventilation systems, and equipment for roofing and industry applications. Based in Sweden, the company operates more than 30 retail outlets, a steel service centre, and four plants which produce ventilation systems.

Text:
ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Constructalia

Images:
brizmaker / Adobe Stock by courtesy of Bevego
Palatinate Stock / Shutterstock.com

Related link(s)

A report from the Steel Construction Institute (SCI) describes their independent review of the performance of the Magnelis® ZM120 coating for corrosion protection. An innovative metallic coating that offers protection in the harshest environments, Magnelis® is a ZM (zinc-aluminium-magnesium) coating in accordance with EN 10346:2015.

Review of Magnelis® coating performance as corrosion protection

The SCI report details the performance of Magnelis® ZM120 coating against corrosion compared with traditional Z275 coating and includes the surface, cut edges, deformed elements, and welded tubes. This independent review and assessment was conducted via a wide range of testing, such as salt-spray tests according to ISO 9227, cyclic tests VDA 621-415 and ECC1, and outdoor exposure tests of up to 10 years.

Conclusions and recommendations

As a result of the performance review and assessment of research information, the SCI findings are as follows:

• Magnelis® ZM120 provides corrosion protection which is not less than the corrosion protection provided by Z275 coating.
• This conclusion applies to surface protection and to protection of cut edges.
• Magnelis® ZM120 is suitable for the same applications as the Z275 coating which is typically specified in UK and Irish construction.
• The design life predictions for the Z275 coating as stated in SCI publication P262 are also applicable to Magnelis® ZM120.

Magnelis® ZM120 applications

While the primary application under consideration was the use of Magnelis® on cold formed sections used in light steel framing, Magnelis® ZM120 is already widely used to manufacture cable trays, flooring systems, indoor ventilation equipment, ceilings, walls and partitions, racking systems, profiled members, and opened and closed profiles.

Magnelis® can be applied to an extensive scope of steel grades, including steels for cold forming and deep drawing applications, as well as structural and high strength, low alloy steels.

About SCI

The Steel Construction Institute has been a trusted, independent source of information and engineering expertise globally for over 30 years. SCI is a leading, independent provider of technical expertise and a disseminator of best practice to the steel construction sector.

The SCI supports everyone involved in steel construction from manufacturers, consulting and design engineers, architects, and product developers to industry groups and peers.

Text:
Constructalia
ArcelorMittal

Images:
SCI
ArcelorMittal

Related link(s)

Review of Magnelis® coating performance as corrosion protection by the Steel Construction Institute