Technical articles

High‑bay warehouses (HBWs) are increasingly used as high‑density storage solutions in modern logistics, driven by the rapid expansion of e‑commerce and the corresponding need for efficient distribution infrastructure.This research paper examines how high strength steels and low carbon materials can significantly enhance the sustainability performance of HBWs.

Steel sheet piles have proven to be a cost-efficient solution in many foundation and underground construction applications. To obtain conclusive results regarding their use in urban underground car parks, ArcelorMittal commissioned the German engineering firm GRBV Ingenieure im Bauwesen to conduct a detailed comparison of various construction alternatives for a project with the following characteristics: the outer wall of a two-level underground car park  an inner-city location with adjacent buildings  typical northern German soil conditions  a 50-year lifespan

This research paper presents a modular and demountable steel-framed structural system developed under the EU RFCS project REDUCE. The system is designed to support circular construction practices by enabling easy deconstruction and reuse of composite structures, standardisation of structural elements for serial production, and integration with digital tools for tracking and reuse. It represents a significant step toward sustainable, flexible, and efficient building practices in the construction industry.

Building deconstruction or architectural salvage requires the careful disassembly of existing structures in order to recover materials for reuse. This process results in a significant environmental impact reduction thanks to a lesser amount of construction and demolition waste in landfills, a conservation of natural resources by reusing existing materials, and a smaller carbon footprint by decreasing the need for new materials. Economic advantages and historical preservation are further benefits. Challenges in building deconstruction include fluctuating market demand, the required labour, and ensuring the quality and safety of reused materials.

With the building sector being responsible for approximately 40% of carbon emissions (of which approximately 11% relate to embodied carbon emissions), it is crucial that strategies are implemented and followed to move towards the carbon neutrality of the construction sector. This research papers highlights the use of low carbon steel as a step towards this goal.

Adopting a performance-based structural fire design in open car park structures is warranted as the fire does not reach flashover. Nevertheless, this design strategy necessitates a precise analysis of the temperatures in structural elements exposed to vehicle fires. For this research paper, a numerical study on the thermal exposure of steel framing members in open car park fires was conducted. Steel temperatures were calculated using analytical models from the Eurocodes, computational fluid dynamics, and finite element modelling. The impact of galvanisation on the evolution of the steel temperature was also evaluated.

Modular construction involves the prefabrication of 2D panels or 3D volumetric structures off-site, utilising the same materials and designing to the same codes and standards as conventionally built buildings but requiring much less time and cost. Buildings are produced in ‘modules’ that are then assembled on site.By 2030, the market value for modular construction of new builds could reach EUR 120 billion in Europe and the United States (McKinsey, 2019). Modular construction offers significantly reduced construction time compared to conventional construction methods with project timelines being accelerated by 20-50%. At present, the demand for prefabricated buildings, such as hotels, warehouses, and schools, is driving an increase in modular construction.The following explores developments and advantages in modular construction, introduces 3D volumetric modular construction in particular, and offers design and production tips.

Headlines throughout the world reveal that a global energy transition is underway. Oil and gas and electricity companies are announcing massive investments and strategic moves that embrace renewable energy.

This article explores batch hot dip galvanisation as an efficient, economical, and sustainable corrosion protection method for steel components. In addition to a general description of the process, the advantages, limitations, and possible alternatives that may have the potential to optimise the manufacturing chain for certain products are presented.

The response of structures exposed to fire depends greatly on the type of fire that breaks out, and the type of fire that occurs is highly dependent on the compartment geometry. A European research project was conducted with the use of computational fluid dynamics simulations to analyse the influence of compartment geometry and the interaction with representative fuel loads in order to examine the circumstances that contribute to the formation of a travelling fire.

As the construction sector hustles to decarbonise, more and more research into the Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) of building and building components is being conducted. This paper contributes to this growing body of research with a comprehensive comparison of cold formed steel (CFS) purlin roof systems using the latest LCA techniques and the latest environmental data.

ArcelorMittal, a leading global producer of steel shapes used in construction, created this handbook that brings together advice and information on connecting jumbo and super jumbo steel shapes in building structures not subject to seismic loading. It is aimed at designers, offering them insights into international best practices and additional resources beyond those of typical European and American building standards.The handbook draws heavily from the ECCS (European Convention for Constructional Steelwork) book ‘Joints in steel and composite structures,’ which focusses on structural connections and covers topics such as how to design, fabricate, and assemble these connections.

The construction industry is the world’s largest consumer of raw materials and the built environment accounts for between 25 and 40% of global CO₂ emissions. The sector is responsible for nearly 40% of annual raw material use and around 39% of the total primary energy use. These numbers are set to increase.The most promising construction material in terms of low emissions and increasing circularity is steel. Although the steel industry is among the highest-emitting industries (about 7% of global carbon dioxide emissions), the carbon footprint of its manufacturing process has decreased over the last 25 years and today new low-carbon alternatives are cutting emissions faster than before. The circularity of steel, enhanced by the possibility to upcycle, unlike other materials, and its low-carbon alternatives have resulted in its use in innovative projects driven by sustainability.

The benefits that steel sheet pile solutions bring to sustainable port infrastructure are increasing steadily with the evolution of steel grades, weight reduction, corrosion protection, recyclability, and environmental impact reduction.

This master’s thesis by Francesco Profico was developed in ArcelorMittal’s R&D centre in Luxembourg. The focus of this thesis is the study of the plastic behaviour of composite dowel shear connectors. These constitute a relatively new typology of shear connectors in composite beams that offer an alternative to the well-established head-stud shear connectors. Composite dowels are made from interconnected steel obtained from a thermal cutting process and reinforced concrete dowels. To date, this new typology has been used in many bridge applications, and guidelines are present for designers in specific countries. Interest is now growing for building applications in which a plastic design for shear connection is often used.

Today, organic coated steel offers exceptional economic and technological advantages, explaining its extraordinary success story in construction.

Steel lattice towers are built around the globe with many serving as telecommunication or power transmission towers. They are commonly composed of equal leg angle sections, ranging from light to heavy sections with leg lengths up to 300 mm.To meet the increasing demands of renewable energies, which are often decentralised in their production with new lines required to transport energy from the production location to the end users, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) expect 18 000 kilometres of new transmission lines to be constructed in Europe by 2035. Additionally, telecommunication advances, such as 5G, require the construction of new towers and the reinforcement of existing towers.

Sustainable development within our built environment is paramount as we work to address environmental objectives and achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change. The emission of greenhouse gasses, including CO₂, is an area in which the construction sector is hard at work making major changes as this sector contributes significantly to these emissions. To truly move forward, resource and carbon-efficient strategies need to be implemented at every level, including that of structural design codes.