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Construction
Our best in class products for wind energy are:
Foundations & flanges:
- Profiles in special bar quality steels for foundations and flanges (profiles up to 250kg/m)
Tower:
- Heavy plates in S235, S275, S355, and S420-S460 - including J, J2, JR, M, ML, and NL specifications with thicknesses up to 80mm, widths up to 3.8mm and lengths up to 20mm
- Amstrong® hot rolled coils from S460 to S500MC and thicknesses up to 25mm
Nacelle:
- Specific beams
- Heavy plates
Generator:
- Wide range of electrical steels, non-grain oriented (ONG) including M400-50A
- Electrical steels with high permeability (M400XP50A & M470P65A)
- Electrical steels with low losses (M250-50A in thicknesses from 0.35 to 1mm)
Gearbox yaw & pitch:
- Seamless rolled ring steels for ring gears (34CrNiMo6, 18CrNiMo7-6, 14CrMoV6-9, 31CrMoV9), orientation systems, and coupling systems (42CrMo4)
Related news & technical articles
ArcelorMittal responds to wind sector demands with steel plates of greater dimensions
12 January 2021Thanks to investment in the new continuous casting of the Avilés Steelworks and the necessary adaptations carried out on the Gijón heavy plate mill, the plant is already supplying steel plates that respond to the new needs of the wind power sector - particularly for offshore wind farm projects. The first of these plates, weighing almost 18 tons, was produced on the heavy plate mill in October 2020 with a length of 10 m, a width of 2.5 m, and a thickness of 90 mm.
Product NewsWind energy: steels for towers and turbines
13 October 2020With existing wind towers using up to 180 tonnes of heavy plate and hundreds of individual towers in a wind farm, the logistics of ensuring just-in-time deliveries of steel are critical for success. ArcelorMittal’s global footprint enables us to meet the needs of some of the leading players in this market – wherever they are located.
Product News
ArcelorMittal responds to wind sector demands with steel plates of greater dimensions
- Thanks to investment in the new continuous casting of the Avilés Steelworks and the necessary adaptations carried out on the Gijón heavy plate mill, the plant is already supplying steel plates that respond to the new needs of the wind power sector - particularly for offshore wind farm projects.
- The first of these plates, weighing almost 18 tons, was produced on the heavy plate mill in October 2020 with a length of 10 m, a width of 2.5 m, and a thickness of 90 mm.
Comprehensive remodelling
The Avilés Steelworks completed its second phase of comprehensive remodelling in January 2020, which involved the modernisation of its no.2 continuous casting machine. This has enabled the production of slabs of greater widths (2200 mm) and greater thicknesses (365 mm). The work undertaken on the continuous caster responds to the needs of our European customers to benefit from heavier plates required in the fabrication of the latest generations of wind towers.
The ability to manufacture plates of about 20 tons improves competitive position
In addition to the modernisation carried out at the Avilés Steelworks, the Gijón heavy plate mill has been adapted to be able to receive the new large slabs and carry out their rolling.
After the production improvements carried out in recent months, in which the Avilés Steelworks has been gradually increasing the thickness of its slabs, the heavy plate mill at the Gijón factory is now capable of producing plates of close to 20 tons unit weight.
The revamping of the no. 2 continuous casting line in Avilès also includes the implementation of state-of-the-art technologies such as Dynamic soft reduction (DSR) and new systems allowing better control of inclusions improving the quality of the slabs, which will be rolled to produce heavy plates.
Therefore, the plates produced from these slabs in our nearby Gijón heavy plate mill are benefitting from these technologies with better internal (less segregation, better internal quality, better homogeneity) and external (cleaner surface aspects) conditions.
These upgrades allow us to extend our technical offer and to supply the full specification of different sizes and grades for more required projects in the wind sector and also in the oil & gas, shipbuilding, and civil engineering sectors.
Text:
ArcelorMittal Spain
Images:
©ArcelorMittal Spain, ©Ian Dick
Related link(s)
Wind energy: steels for towers and turbines
With existing wind towers using up to 180 tonnes of heavy plate and hundreds of individual towers in a wind farm, the logistics of ensuring just-in-time deliveries of steel are critical for success. ArcelorMittal’s global footprint enables us to meet the needs of some of the leading players in this market – wherever they are located.
Our solutions
Our heavy plate is used to construct both the tower and, in offshore installations, the jackets that keep the turbine stable on the sea floor. ArcelorMittal is also working with wind turbine developers to create the next generation of towers which are lighter and do not require welding.
We also supply non-oriented fully processed electrical steels for the medium and high-power generators which sit at the top of the wind tower. These steels possess all of the required magnetic properties to maximise the amount of energy each turbine can produce.
Offshore wind farms
Our steels for offshore structures offer improved workability and weldability and can be supplied thermomechanically rolled or normalised. They can be utilised in applications such as platforms and equipment for new fixed wind towers.
ArcelorMittal can conduct the following tests if required:
- Ultrasonic testing
- Reduced Carbon Equivalent (CEV) or Parameter Crack Measurement (PCM) values
- Transversal impact tests
- Improved deformation properties perpendicular to the surface of the product as per EN 10164 (Z test)
- Post-Weld Heat Treatment (PWHT) test
Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Images: ArcelorMittal, Majeczka/Shutterstock.com, Andrea Crisante Pedrosala/Shutterstock.com
Related link(s)
Steel Solutions Provider to the Global Wind Energy Industry
ArcelorMittal – the Leading Supplier of Steel Solutions for the Global Wind Energy Industry!
Wind towers
The use of fossil fuels and the conventional methods of producing electricity are going to diminish drastically over the next 50 years. Contributing to the development of renewable energy is as much a strategic choice as an industrial responsibility to our planet.
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PerformanceMost countries are doing their part by investing in renewable energy with a strategic focus on the following energy resources:
- wind
- solar
- and to some extent 'blue economy' (ocean economy)
ArcelorMittal is committed to offering steel products and steel solutions to support wind tower manufacturers. Thanks to our worldwide industrial footprint coupled with customised services, we are able to provide the largest range of steel solutions for each part of the wind tower.
Every day, the onshore and offshore windmill sector brings new technical challenges to the wind tower market. Our R&D centres contribute to many projects identifying the future vision for the wind energy sector and wind turbine technology with new, lighter materials meant to limit welding seams involved in turbine construction.
Our heavy plates range is used to manufacture both the tower and, in offshore installations, the jackets that keep the turbine stable on the sea floor. We also supply non-oriented, fully processed electrical steels for the medium and high-power generators sitting at the top of the wind tower. These steels possess all of the required magnetic properties to maximise the amount of energy each turbine can produce.
Our steels for offshore structures offer improved workability and weldability and can be supplied thermomechanically rolled or normalised. They can be utilised in applications such as platforms and equipment for new fixed wind towers.
ArcelorMittal can conduct the following tests if required:
- ultrasonic testing
- reduced carbon equivalent (CEV) or parameter crack measurement (PCM) values
- transversal impact tests
- resistance to lamellar tearing, perpendicular to the surface of the product as per EN 10164 (Z test)
- post-weld heat treatment test (PWHT)