Innovation

We are proud to introduce you to our newest Constructalia feature: SiCA – Steel in Construction Academy. SiCA is a self-learning online platform for those in, or joining, the construction industry focussed on the use of steel as the material of choice for construction applications and required performances.

The story of SiCA

Just before the start of the new millennium, over 200 European steel and steel construction specialists (including ArcelorMittal) sat down together to create ESDEP, the European Steel Design Education Programme, to further the development of steel in construction.

We have taken this valuable content and revised, updated, and enriched it to meet the standards and requirements of 2022 and beyond. Don’t worry, we didn’t forget to comply with the most recent versions of the Eurocodes. The history of steel, construction physics, design, applications, and the properties of steel are just a sprinkling of the topics on offer.

This is just the beginning

Topics such as sustainable construction with steel, energy efficiency, or the circular economy were not of great importance all those years ago when this content was first created. Not only have we updated the content to meet the needs of these now very important topics, but such themes will be the subject of upcoming lectures.

Text:
Constructalia

Images:
Constructalia

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Steel roofing and cladding materials are among the most cost-efficient solutions available on the construction market today. As well as being light and easy to handle, these products are quick to assemble, and they are available in a wide range of shapes and colours to suit almost any built environment. Due to the updated Euronorm (EN 508-1) for self-supporting roofing and cladding sheets that came into force in October 2021, ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products has been helping the makers of profiling machines ensure their systems meet the new standard.

Successful co-engineering

DACHPOLL, a leading manufacturer of profiling machines, has collaborated with ArcelorMittal to ensure the roofing tiles produced on their machines meet the new standard, particularly in regard to the minimum bending radius.

DACHPOLL has been active in the profiling market for over three decades. Around 12 years ago, the company began to produce its own profiling machines for roofing tiles, trapezoidal sheets, and roof accessories at its facility in Poland.

Updated Euronorm and new bending requirements

The publication of the updated Euronorm for roofing and cladding products introduced a new mandatory requirement on bending. Steel roofing and cladding materials must now observe a minimum internal forming radius that is at least twice the thickness of the material. If this minimum is not respected, the paint and metallic coating layers of roofing and cladding products can crack, reducing the lifetime of the application.

“In 2019, DACHPOLL started working with ArcelorMittal to ensure our profiling machines use the appropriate radii during profiling and stamping operations,” says Michał Brewka, DACHPOLL’s Commercial Director. “It is particularly important that the minimum radius is not exceeded on the ridge of the tiles. Otherwise, the paint layer can crack during the forming operation. This weakens the integrity of a roof as it allows humidity to penetrate and corrode the metallic coating – and then the steel core. In extreme cases, this can lead to premature perforation of the roof.”

Tiny adjustments invisible to end users make a big difference

During the co-engineering project, ArcelorMittal tested roofing tiles where rust had appeared prematurely. “ArcelorMittal’s R&D team found that many profiling machine customers were exceeding the minimum bend radius specified in our documentation,” says Daniel Drozdowski. “Tiny adjustments to the design of the final product can make a big difference, and they are not noticeable to the end user.”

“Thanks to the cooperation between ArcelorMittal and DACHPOLL, we can assure customers that they can profile strips correctly for roofing and cladding applications,” says Michał Brewka. “DACHPOLL has also gained additional experience which allowed us to find a compromise between the expectations of roofing tile consumers for aesthetic shapes and designs and the processability of materials such as ArcelorMittal’s Granite® Ultramat and Granite® Storm organic coated steels. We expect that the changes will dramatically reduce the number of complaints we receive.”

“It may seem unusual for a steelmaker such as ArcelorMittal to take on a project like this,” notes Paweł Patyk, Head of ArcelorMittal’s Technical Client Team for Region East. “But we believe that we must take responsibility for ensuring consumers can enjoy undisturbed use of their new roof for the long-term.”

About DACHPOLL

DACHPOLL began as a sheet metal profiling business in the late 1970s. As well as producing roofing and cladding systems, the company began to make sheet metal profiling machines. Today, DACHPOLL makes a range of innovative profiling machines with highly advanced electronics and control systems. The company’s experienced and creative team of specialists are continuing to modernise this product range.

More info: dachpoll.pl

Text:
ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Constructalia

Images:
DACHPOLL
ArcelorMittal

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ArcelorMittal and Metrotenerife are shaking up the rail market with an innovation allowing quicker track replacement for Light Rail Transportation.

Thanks to this innovation, consisting of a removable insulating chamber, grooved rails can be removed and installed with no disruptions and without demolishing street pavements.

Metrotenerife’s insulating chamber patent system was awarded Technical Innovation of the Year at the 2021 Global Light Rail Awards.

Check out the video to learn more about it.

Text:
ArcelorMittal Europe Communications

Images:
ArcelorMittal Rails & Special sections

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The French Prime Minister announced support from the French Government for ArcelorMittal’s decarbonisation programme in France, which involves a €1.7 billion investment in its Fos-sur-Mer and Dunkirk sites in France. This investment will enable a profound transformation of steelmaking in France and a total reduction of close to 40% or 7.8 million tonnes per year in ArcelorMittal’s CO2 emissions in France by 2030. This transformation will represent a 10% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the manufacturing industry in France and put France’s steelmaking industry on the path of the Paris Agreement.

State aid to implement the decarbonisation roadmap

ArcelorMittal will implement €1.7 billion in investments by 2030 to accelerate the decarbonisation of its steelmaking sites in Fos-sur-Mer and Dunkirk while maintaining equivalent production capacities:

• In Fos-sur-Mer, ArcelorMittal will build an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF). This new unit will complement the ladle furnace announced last March and supported by France’s recovery plan, ‘France Relance.’ Together these investments will turn Fos-sur-Mer into a reference site for the production of low carbon, circular steel, made from recycled steel.
• In Dunkirk, ArcelorMittal will build a 2.5 million tonne Direct Reduction of Iron (DRI) unit to transform iron ore using hydrogen instead of coal. This DRI will be coupled with an innovative technology electric furnace and completed by an additional Electric Arc Furnace (EAF). Other investments are already under way to continue to increase the proportion of scrap steel used.

A second phase to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050

ArcelorMittal’s French operations have already started working on a second step in their decarbonisation programme, which will use the technologies implemented during the first step, along with carbon capture and storage or utilisation (CCU/S) technologies, assuming the technology sufficiently matures and regulation ensures it economic viability. This second step will enable ArcelorMittal’s French operations to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

The partnership between ArcelorMittal and the French government for the projects is subject to EU approval, which is anticipated by the second quarter of this year, as well as the availability of economically viable energy infrastructure and supply.

Decarbonising ArcelorMittal’s operations in France: three paths to carbon neutrality

To reach carbon neutrality, ArcelorMittal will completely change the way it produces steel by:

• Increasing the recycling of steel: one kilo of steel produced by ArcelorMittal in France will soon contain up to 25% recycled steel
• Developing innovative DRI to make steel without coal thanks to hydrogen
• Capturing residual CO2 for storage or usage (CCU/S)

Text:
ArcelorMittal
Constructalia

Images:
ArcelorMittal

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Just as the winter snow glistens in the sunlight, so does Granite® HDXtreme steel in G906S and G906X White aluminium, as well as G910S Pure white – three new samples now available on Constructalia.

New free samples to make any project unique

Order these new free samples, along with many others for the construction market, from Constructalia here.

Created in consultation with architects and designers, Granite® HDXtreme from ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products is available in a vast palette of colours and three different finishes to make any project unique.

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With the European Union aiming to become the first carbon-neutral continent by 2050, new and greener fuels are entering the energy market. Some, such as green hydrogen, are presenting unique challenges for the energy transportation sector. ArcelorMittal is actively working with customers, researchers, and regulators to define new steel grades and testing methodologies which will allow green energy to be distributed across the EU. These efforts have already led to the delivery of pipes for a new high-pressure hydrogen pipeline which stretches almost 450 kilometres across Italy. But with demand for clean energy growing daily, there is much more work to be done.

Safety considerations

The availability of hydrogen made using renewable energy (known as green hydrogen) and its transport are integral to European efforts to create a carbon-neutral circular economy. But hydrogen has some unique safety considerations.

Unlike existing fuels such as natural gas, hydrogen has a very small atom. The size of the particle makes it easier for the hydrogen atoms to penetrate the steel and alter its characteristics. Over time the steel can lose its ability to withstand fractures.

New standards required

To counter this issue, international organisations such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) have defined standards which limit the operating pressure of hydrogen pipelines. In the ASME’s case, they have reduced the recommended operating pressure of hydrogen pipelines to 20 percent of the pressure for natural gas. That means less hydrogen – and thus less energy – can be transported.

“Defining a new standard for hydrogen transport pipes is a key priority for the EU and the energy sector,” says Olivier Brun, Portfolio Director for Industry at ArcelorMittal Global R&D. “That will enable operators to use their pipelines at full capacity and go a long way to meeting the need for this remarkable fuel.”

To help further these efforts, ArcelorMittal is a part of the European Union’s Clean Hydrogen Alliance. It is also an active member of Horizon Europe – the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation into green energy.

ArcelorMittal steels in Europe’s first hydrogen pipeline

ArcelorMittal steels are already being used in Europe’s first certified hydrogen pipeline – a 450 km network developed by SNAM to supply Italy with hydrogen. Made by Corinth Pipeworks (CPW), the pipes utilise ArcelorMittal’s L415ME steel grade and have been certified against the requirements of the ASME B31.12 Option B standard.

 “For this project we delivered a robust new steel which will resist embrittlement and transport hydrogen gas safely throughout Europe,” explains Frederic Bouchaud, ArcelorMittal account manager for oil and gas pipelines. “The grade is a high-quality steel with low carbon content, excellent cleanliness, a homogenous microstructure, and low levels of sulphur and phosphorous. It is also available in very large widths.”

The steel for the pipes was produced by ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products at its mills in Fos-sur-Mer, France and Bremen, Germany. After forming by CPW, the pipes were laboratory tested at maximum pressure and 100 percent hydrogen. The testing has proved the safety of steel and will allow the pipeline to operate at around 70 percent of capacity, significantly above the standard available today.

Co-engineering partners wanted

Two years ago, ArcelorMittal began to research how our steels for natural gas pipelines behave with hydrogen. “We have also made significant efforts to develop our inhouse knowledge of hydrogen transport,” says Nuria Sanchez Mourino, project leader at ArcelorMittal Global R&D. “Our methodology and testing equipment have enabled us to support CPW in the development of the new pipes for the SNAM hydrogen network. And we will continue to invest in both our know-how and our tools.”

The ArcelorMittal teams are actively looking for customers to work with to develop its steel offer for the transport of hydrogen and other gases such as carbon dioxide. “Bring us your project and we will help you to test – and improve – the grades you are using!” says Frederic Bouchaud, ArcelorMittal account manager for oil and gas pipelines.

Stronger electricity transport

New electricity transportation towers are being developed to maximise the amount of wind, solar, and wave energy that makes it to consumers. The new towers utilise advanced high strength steel grades (AHSS) produced by ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products. These grades are also utilised in wind towers and offer significantly improved resistance to wind loads.

ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products has recently supplied AHSS grades to a leading pioneer in the development of new power tower designs.

Transporting CO2 safely

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is another gas that presents unique safety challenges during transportation. The gas has many applications in industry, food and beverage production, and chemical processes. There is also an increasing need to capture, transport, and sequester CO2 to limit carbon emissions from industry.

Transporting CO2 presents its own unique challenges. The temperature of the gas can rapidly change due to alterations in the pressure along a pipeline. For example, a failure in a pipe can lead to a sudden and dramatic fall in temperature which will solidify the CO2. The rapid change in temperature can lead to embrittlement and cracking of the steel.

Many of ArcelorMittal’s existing AHSS grades can be used to create CO2 pipelines with a high level of safety. But to increase capacity and safety, ArcelorMittal is working with customers to develop new steels and steel solutions for CO2 transportation. These include new grades and alternative pipe designs which use sleeves to limit the risk of failure.

Text:
ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Constructalia

Images:
Corinth Pipeworks
Corona Borealis Studio, Scharfsinn, XONIX/shutterstock.com

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Snam high-pressure pipeline network