ArcelorMittal has released an updated and debugged version of its Advance Bridge Expert software, a pre-design tool for composite bridges with hot rolled sections. The software was developed by Graitec with support from ArcelorMittal.

Advance Bridge Expert is dedicated to the pre-design of straight, skewed, and/or curved bridges for roads, railways, and pedestrians according to EN Eurocodes. Superstructures can be designed as filler beam, composite, or PreCoBeam construction. For railway bridges, the software allows for the dynamic pre-design of high-speed trains according to EN 1991-2.

We invite you to visit our Software page to download Advance Bridge Expert version 2023.

Click here to explore the Advance Bridge Expert tutorial videos!

Within the 15-day trial version of Advance Bridge Expert, limited to the use of economic rolled sections, you can request a full, free-of-charge licence for this software.

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Software

At BAU, the world's leading trade fair for the construction sector, from 17 to 22 April in Munich, ArcelorMittal's business units will present a wide range of products on offer: from facade solutions and load-bearing structures to roof structures for photovoltaic systems.

Robust, sustainable, and as eye-catching as possible

Steel as a material is playing an increasingly important role in resource-efficient construction. Steel is versatile, fully recyclable, and – thanks to innovative technologies – can be manufactured with a smaller carbon footprint. The use of steel products with reduced CO₂ emissions represents further progress towards a climate-neutral construction industry.

"This year, our focus is on the topic of sustainable construction with steel, highlighting the role that low carbon emissions steel can play in reducing the carbon footprint of the construction sector. Manufacturing methods are changing, which means the use of renewable energies and scrap are increasing. As a durable, infinitely recyclable, but also very versatile material, steel is suitable for any use in the construction industry. And it is an important material in the energy transition, with low-carbon emissions steel needed for wind power or photovoltaics. Visitors to BAU will be able to see this for themselves," says Tapas Rajderkar, Chief Marketing Officer of ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products.

Carbon emissions reduction thanks to XCarb® steels

Sustainability, circular economy, and ArcelorMittal's XCarb® range are in focus this year. This brings together all the group's manufacturing processes, products, initiatives, and innovation projects aimed at reducing CO2 emissions. XCarb® recycled and renewably produced steel is made in an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) using 100% renewable electricity and up to 100% scrap, significantly reducing the carbon footprint of steel buildings. Emissions can be as low as 300 kilograms CO₂ per tonne compared with over two tonnes for steel produced conventionally. In the construction of an industrial hall, for example, steel that is recycled and produced with renewable electricity can save as many tonnes of CO₂ as the total steel tonnage required for the building envelope and supporting structure, without changing the construction method or the established building process.

Sustainability goes hand in hand with quality at the world's leading steel and mining group. In addition to the aesthetic aspect, the performance and recyclability of the materials and the construction elements used have an impact on the life cycle assessment of a building. The use of high strength steels contributes to a reduction in the carbon footprint. For example, for the same load-bearing capacity, the carbon footprint of a beam can be reduced by 15 to 20%. When using a composite deck instead of a conventional precast concrete one, the reduction is up to 30%.

A wide range of applications in construction

With the Granite® product family, ArcelorMittal offers a range of organic coated steels for building envelopes with more than 120 colours and textures, guaranteed for up to 40 years. For facade substructures, solar mounting structures, but also cable trays, composite floors, and many more applications, Magnelis® metallic coated steel resists corrosion three times better than regular galvanised steel. Both products are available as XCarb® recycled and renewably produced.

Special roof panels for photovoltaic systems

A few years ago, a solar/photovoltaic system was still a "nice to have", but today it is a standard feature and has even become mandatory for new commercial buildings. ArcelorMittal specialises in the installation of photovoltaic modules on roofs and will be showing its portfolio at BAU. Whether renovating existing buildings or constructing new ones, Ondatherm Solar® roof panels offer simple and quick installation for photovoltaic systems, are robust, and provides a high level of thermal protection. Various flexible solutions are available to customers and builders for mounting the modules.

Sustainable supporting structures

ArcelorMittal will also present its solutions for load-bearing structures at BAU. Cofraplus® 80 composite floor profiles are approved by building authorities as prefabricated steel floors and have a significantly lower carbon footprint compared to prefabricated concrete slabs. For structural applications, high strength HISTAR® steels provide cost and material savings. The weather-resistant Arcorox® steel grades with natural corrosion protection have a long service life and are already being used successfully in bridge construction projects.

Text:
ArcelorMittal Germany
Constructalia

Images:
© Tom Clausen, shutterstock.com, and Philippe Vandenameele
© ArcelorMittal

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BAU 2023

The newest SiCA: Steel in Construction Academy lectures – Composite columns: parts 1 and 2 – are available now!

These two lectures introduce composite columns, describe their behaviour, and explain the design methods for axially loaded composite columns and uniaxial and biaxial bending.

Topics covered include:

• types of cross-sections for composite columns
• material grades and material safety
• local buckling failure
• analysis for bending moments
• influence of shear forces

Text:
Constructalia

Image:
© ArcelorMittal

Related link(s)

SiCA: Steel in Construction Academy