This paper introduces the concept of Construction 4.0 and examines the digital transformation of the construction sector. The potential of additive manufacturing as a driver for innovation in construction that enables the fabrication of lightweight and functionally graded structures is presented and discussed.

Construction 4.0

The construction industry is adopting new technologies at a slow pace and has not yet been through the major disruptive digital transformation that other industries such as automotive or aeronautics have been through in the form of Industry 4.0. Industry 4.0 has greatly altered industry and production value chains and business models. As the construction industry faces the challenges of implementing digital technologies, intelligent machines, and smart materials, this transformation is taking place. Known as Construction 4.0, this transformation will bring about greater productivity, time-efficiency, and resource-efficiency while enhancing safety and quality.

Building information modelling (BIM) digitally integrates the aesthetic design and technical details of a construction project into one information package. BIM gives a digital prototype of the building to everyone involved in the construction, before it is built.  ArcelorMittal Europe is currently developing BIM objects for every one of its high added value steel products used in construction.

A greater level of digitalisation through BIM integrated with cloud computing technology will result in Cloud-BIM data that allows for easy access on mobile devices. This increased connectivity and access to the most up-to-date information will greatly improve productivity.

In the steel construction industry specifically, adaptive automation solutions such as arc welding robotic technology are already enhancing production. These welding robotic solutions can be fitted with laser cameras to further improve production quality and are capable of cutting complex geometries quickly without the need for finishing steps. Additionally, these robotic solutions are also being applied to steel cutting applications such as tubes, thick plates, and pipes resulting in greater efficiency.

The utilisation of IoT (Internet of Things) technology such as UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) also has the potential to transform the building industry. UAVs can be used for tracking construction projects and making quality assessments in addition to monitoring construction sites, masonry assembly, and carrying out some of the dangerous work that currently decreases site safety.

Overall, Construction 4.0 will enhance stakeholder collaboration, creativity, and strengthen the supply chain.

Additive manufacturing in construction

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is defined as “the process of joining materials to make objects from 3D model data, usually layer upon layer, as opposed to subtractive manufacturing methodologies, such as traditional machining ” (American Society for Testing and Materials standard).

AM processes are increasingly used in industrial applications due to their unique features such as eliminating the need for tooling and more economical custom product manufacturing. AM processes typically used in the construction industry are commonly extrusion-based processes (cement/ceramic paste and polymer-based materials), binder jetting processes, and the fusion of high melting point materials for both on-site and off-site fabrication of new construction elements or repairing applications.

As AM evolves, it is allowing architects and engineers to design more complex geometries. The main challenges and opportunities of this evolving technology in the construction sector are explored in depth in this paper.

Materials and lightweight and functionally graded structures

One of the ways in which AM is contributing to Construction 4.0 is as a platform for materials design. It allows for the use of natural and recyclable materials, which is conducive to a more sustainable construction approach.

As this paper points out, resource efficiency is fundamental as we move towards a more efficient construction sector. Lightweight structural components allow for a decrease in waste generation, emissions, and consumption.  Utilising the technologies describe in the paper will bring us one step closer to this global goal.

Moving forward

Construction 4.0 promises to increase construction productivity, quality, cost, and resource efficiency, all of which will require the adoption of technical innovations such as IoT, BIM, AM, and other digital systems.

Text: Constructalia
Photos and report: Flávio Craveiroa, José Pinto Duarte, Helena Bartolo, Paulo Jorge Bartolo

ArcelorMittal is recognised as a Steel Sustainability Champion for the second year running by the World Steel Association (worldsteel) at its board meeting in April in Madrid, Spain.

The accolade distinguishes the steel companies who, like ArcelorMittal, are leading by example in creating a truly sustainable steel industry. The Steel Sustainability Champion programme seeks to encourage other steel companies to increase their efforts, set higher standards, and demonstrate a strong commitment to sustainable development and the circular economy.

Dedication to sustainability

This designation reflects ArcelorMittal’s dedication to worldsteel’s sustainable development charter; the company’s regular and transparent reporting on its environmental, social, and economic performance; its commitment to providing a safe and healthy work environment for steelworkers; and its double success in 2018’s Steelie Awards, where it won the ‘Excellence in sustainability’ and ‘Excellence in life cycle assessment’ categories.

Worldsteel represents steel producers (including nine of the world’s 10 largest steel companies), national and regional steel industry associations, and steel research institutes. Its members account for about 85% of global steel production.

Recognising the importance of sustainability

Brian Aranha, Executive Vice President, Head of Strategy, CTO, R&D, CCM, Global Automotive, Communications and Corporate Responsibility, ArcelorMittal said, “It is an honour to be in Madrid and accept the award on behalf of ArcelorMittal. As the world’s leading steel company, we recognise the importance of sustainability for our business and the steel industry because it sits at the heart of securing a license to operate. Securing sustainability champion status for the second year in a row is a confirmation of our dedication to making sustainable development a priority for our business.”

Text: ArcelorMittal Communications, Constructalia
Photo: Worldsteel

The global oil and gas industry places some of the most stringent requirements on steel to ensure the long-term safety and security of energy networks. Nowhere are these requirements higher than in the United States. That’s why Borusan Mannesmann, a leading supplier to the industry, turned to ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products when they required steel for a new pipeline project in Texas. The 1.75 billion USD project will transport up to 56 million cubic metres (1.98 billion cubic feet) of natural gas daily from the Texas oilfields to the Atlantic coast.

Strict limits and parameters met

The project called for a high-quality steel grade commonly used in the oil and gas industry, API 5L X70 PSL 2. However, the end customer requested specific changes to the steel’s chemistry to improve weldability onsite. Strict limits were also placed on the mechanical and chemical properties of the steel, and new test requirements were specified to ensure these parameters were met.

“It was one of the most stringent steel specifications we have ever received for our large diameter pipes,” says Zafer Atabey, general manager of Borusan Mannesmann. “Thanks to its expertise and strong knowhow in steel, ArcelorMittal has been always a reliable partner in our oil and gas projects, so we naturally turned to them.”

Following the steel, every step of the way

Due to the high technical specifications for the steel, the Borusan Mannesmann team were allowed to follow the production of the steel at ArcelorMittal Bremen, Germany. “ArcelorMittal’s technical team played a significant role in ensuring the quality of the steel, and they did that with great transparency and effort,” says Zafer Atabey. “Our feedback was received very positively and triggered technical cooperation and synergies between Borusan Mannesmann and ArcelorMittal. This ensured that the production and delivery of the steel concluded on time, and with required level of quality.”

Once the steel was produced, it was shipped to the Borusan Mannesmann plant at Gemlik in Turkey. There, the 15.24 mm thick steel was formed into 42’’ spirally welded pipes in one of the world’s most advanced production lines for this type of oil and gas pipe. The pipes were then coated internally and externally to the project’s high standards before being delivered to the port of Corpus Christi in the United States.

Strong and trustworthy partnership

Despite the imposition of tariffs on steel by the United States government, the contract with Borusan went ahead due to the pipeline’s strategic importance. “There is a distinct lack of local suppliers who could meet the timeline given the quality constraints and the quantity of pipes required,” says Zafer Atabey. “The project owner decided to move forward with Borusan Mannesmann, whatever the conditions.”

For Zafer Atabey, the success of this project is likely to result in further cooperation between ArcelorMittal and Borusan Mannesmann: “Working with a strong and trustworthy supplier such as ArcelorMittal is crucial because of their excellence in terms of timing and quality. ArcelorMittal met our expectations perfectly throughout the project and we will continue that success by cooperating on upcoming projects.”

About Borusan Mannesmann

Borusan Mannesmann has over 60 years of experience providing high added value products to a range of industries including energy and water transportation, construction, and engineering. The company produces both large and small pipe diameter solutions to meet customer requirements.

Thanks to the high quality of its pipes, Borusan Mannesmann is the only Turkish manufacturer of spiral pipes authorised to supply the North American oil and gas pipeline market.

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications

Photos: Borusan Mannesmann

ArcelorMittal has taken a leading role in forming and committing to ResponsibleSteel™, the steel industry's first multi-stakeholder global certification initiative.

First global certification programme

ResponsibleSteel™ was set up in 2015 as a non-profit organisation to drive a more responsible future for the steel industry. It will achieve this by building the first global certification programme and standard for the entire steel value chain from mining, to production processes, to final stage sales, and distribution. Certification standards will include the following areas:

• Climate Change & Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Water Responsibility & Biodiversity
• Human Rights & Labour Law
• Local Communities & Business Integrity

ArcelorMittal’s commitment

Explaining ArcelorMittal’s commitment to ResponsibleSteel™, Alan Knight, Global Head of Sustainable Development, said that "responsible production techniques and high ethical and business standards are becoming increasingly important to our customers, and ultimately to their customers and consumers. We want to get to a point where steel users and purchasers have total confidence in their choices. ResponsibleSteel™ provides us with a fantastic opportunity to do this and to create the world’s first certification programme for the industry.”

About ResponsibleSteel™

ResponsibleSteel™ is a membership-based organisation currently comprising 22 members including steel producers, car manufacturers (BMW Group and Daimler), finance providers such as HSBC, industry organisations and NGOs. The scheme will formally launch its certification standards following a rigorous accreditation process which is expected to conclude towards the end of 2019. Once launched, ResponsibleSteel™ expects to rapidly grow its membership base with the aim of becoming the industry-recognised standard around the world.

A new R&D report presenting a new, innovative type of flat shear connection for steel-concrete composite structures is now available.

Report abstract

For buildings in steel-concrete composite structure, the current practice of the shear connection in fully embedded columns is the implementation of headed shear studs. This type of connector has been mainly developed for composite beams and some disadvantages have been identified for column application. For example, due to the shear stud geometry, the difficulty of the reinforcement application and more complicated handling of the column are recognised. Taking into account the additional high resistance, stiffness, ductility and production efficiency criteria, an innovative type of flat shear connection, with the potential for a fully automatic fabrication process has been developed. The proposed new type of shear connectors is made out of regular reinforcement bars welded to the flanges of steel profiles under a specific arrangement. The conducted investigation consisted of three different variants: transversal, longitudinal and angled (V-shaped) of connectors applied to the HEB120 steel profiles. In addition, tests without any mechanical connectors were conducted as reference tests. The specific load-bearing behaviour in terms of load-slip curves for each connector variant has been obtained and analysed. After the tests, the specimens were opened and the failure patterns were investigated. 3D non-linear numerical simulations in the FE code Abaqus® have supported the performed investigations. In the results, the load flux, the decisive force-transfer mechanisms and resistance limits have been identified.

Report (including abstract):
C. Odenbreit, ArcelorMittal Chair of Steel and Facade Engineering, FSTC, RUES, University of Luxembourg
M. Chrzanowski, ArcelorMittal Chair of Steel and Facade Engineering, FSTC, RUES, University of Luxembourg
R. Obiala, Global R&D, ArcelorMittal
T. Bogdan, Global R&D, ArcelorMittal
H. Degée, FET, CERG, Hasselt University

Text: Constructalia

Photos: R.W.M. Wong, European Commission, C.Odenbreit, M.Chrzanowski, R.Obiala, T.Bogdan, H.Degée

Good news for astronomy enthusiasts: the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), which will be located in Chile, is currently being built with ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products’ steel plates produced in Gijón, Spain. Once in service, this powerful telescope, equipped with a 3.2-billion-pixel camera, will make a survey of the universe in 3D.

10 years studying the universe

Thanks to its dry atmosphere, Chile has become the site of choice for many astronomy observatories with 70% of the world’s astronomical infrastructure planned to be in the country by the 2020s.

This is where the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), developed by AURA (Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy), is currently under construction. The project has been funded by the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and aims to produce the deepest, widest image of the universe night after night for 10 years.

The LSST uses a three-mirror design, which offers a wide field of view and is able to survey the entire sky in only three nights. It will deliver sharp images taken by a 3.2-billion-pixel camera, the largest digital camera ever constructed.

A robust structure made with our steel

In 2014, a Spanish consortium formed by Asturfeito and GHESA won the offer for the design, construction, and testing of the Telescope Mount Assembly.

ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products’ mill in Gijón supplied customer Asturfeito with steel plates for the construction of the telescope’s structure. Our plates in grade S355J2 + N provide the necessary toughness for an application such as this one.

The competitiveness of our offer in terms of price and technical requirements convinced Asturfeito to opt for our steel solutions. Regarding logistics, the location of our mill was an added benefit due to its proximity with the customer’s facility (also in the region of Asturias).

Coming in 2020

Asturfeito fully assembled the LSST in its production site and carried out control and performance tests in collaboration with GHESA. The telescope will be disassembled and the parts will be transported from the port of Avilés to Chile this autumn before being installed at 2600 metres of altitude in Cerro Pachón. LSST will see “first light” with a commissioning camera in August of 2020 and begin the ten-year full science survey in October of 2022.

About Asturfeito

Our client, Asturfeito, is a leading company in the engineering, manufacturing, and commissioning of capital goods with more than 20 years of experience in the scientific, nuclear, petrochemical, renewable energy, industrial, and steel industries. The company currently employs 220 people and has three production sites in Asturias: in Tabaza; in the Principality of Asturias Business Park (PEPA), very close to the port of Avilés (facilities where the skeleton of the telescope has been built); and in Silvota.

Fact & figures about the LSST

•    16 metre-diameter
•    375 tonnes
•    8.4-m mirror - the width of a singles tennis court
•    3200-megapixel camera
•    Each image the size of 40 full moons
•    37 billion stars and galaxies
•    10-year survey of the sky
•    10 million alerts, 1000 pairs of exposures
•    15 terabytes of data...every night

These best practice design manuals consist of a series of technical guides for engineering offices, steel fabricators, and architects that aim at facilitating the application of the Eurocodes in the design of single-storey and multi-storey steel buildings.

The presented design manuals consist of a series of technical guides facilitating the application of the Eurocodes in the design of single-storey and multi-storey steel buildings.

These design manuals are helpful for steel fabricators and engineering offices, but the presentation of the advantages and possibilities of the use of steel also applies to architects. They provide a useful source of knowledge for designers in accordance with the Eurocodes and include topics such as numerous design details, fire engineering issues, member and connection resistance calculators, etc.

The design guides 'Single-Storey Steel Buildings' and 'Multi-Storey Steel Buildings' were produced in the framework of the European project 'Facilitating the market development for sections in industrial halls and low rise buildings (SECHALO) RFS2-CT-2008-0030', which was carried out with a financial grant from the European Union's Research Fund for Coal and Steel.

The design guides were prepared under the direction of ArcelorMittal, Peiner Träger, and Corus. The technical content was prepared by CTICM and SCI, collaborating as the Steel Alliance.

ArcelorMittal Europe delivered 60 000 tonnes of rails and 1000 tonnes of sections and flat bars for the 450-km Haramain High Speed Rail project also known as the “Mecca-Medina high speed railway" inaugurated on 25 September 2018.

A 300 km/h alternative

Located in Saudi Arabia, this new rail line connects the cities of Medina and Mecca. It was planned to provide safe and comfortable transport at speeds of 300 km/h, and it will help to relieve traffic congestion on the roads.

ArcelorMittal, a worldwide reference in high speed rail supply

To build the electrified double-track line, ArcelorMittal España supplied 60 000 tonnes of 25-metre-long 60E1 – R260 rails.

ArcelorMittal steel was chosen as we are a worldwide reference in high speed rail supply. We also have five facilities around the world for rail supply, of which four are located in Europe: Rodange (Luxembourg), Dąbrowa Górnicza, Chorzów (Poland), and Gijón (Spain).

A further contribution from Distribution Solutions Iberia

The rails are not the only contribution of ArcelorMittal Europe. Downstream Solutions Iberia provided (via its long-term customer, Dicome) 1000 tonnes of sections and flat bars produced in Olaberria and Bergara to realise the overhead power cable posts between January 2014 and April 2015.

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe
Photos: Saudi Railways Organization

LCA - Life cycle analysis or assessment, now a common method for all resources and products, is of course also important for steel in construction. ArcelorMittal is fully committed to promoting the sustainability of steel. LCAs in the construction industry will now include the so called "Module D" which considers the end of life recycling possibilities of construction materials in general and metals and steel products  in particular.

What is LCA?

The procedures of LCA are part of the International Standards Organisation (ISO) 14040 series of standards. LCA provides a methodology to take into account the environmental impacts of the manufacturing processes of a product, the extraction of the raw materials used by these processes, the use and maintenance of the product by the consumer, its end–of-life (recycling, reuse or disposal) as well as the various methods of transport occurring between every link of the chain. Below pic. 1

LCA for steel products

Correct modelling of the recycling potential of steel products at the end-of-life phase is critical for our sector to compete with other materials and demonstrate the performance of steels solutions to meet  the demand for “best in class” sustainable buildings.

At  ArcelorMittal, safe, sustainable steel has long been our tagline. A life-cycle approach translates the relatively high input of energy and associated emissions of the transformation process from units of mass into units of functionality (i.e. “functional equivalence”,  e.g. the same load bearing capacity over certain length for different beam solutions).

Our advanced high strength steels showcase their premium structural performance over conventional steels or competitive materials in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) benchmarks measured over unit of functionality.

In Europe, an environmental product declaration (EPD) is a standardized way of quantifying the environmental impact of a product or system following Life Cycle Analysis.

For us as a steelmaker, it is also strategically important to demonstrate this life-style approach - in terms of governments and policies – so that the long service-life, re-use and multi-recycling characteristics of steel are adequately appreciated and measured.

However, a recurring point of contention in the tools used to define these government policies is how to quantify the environmental benefits of recycling.

Typically steel products made over the integrated route have a scrap content limited to a value between 10-20% where as the product at end-of-life will be recycled at rates between 85-95%. The ‘recycled content’ method only incorporates the environmental benefits realised today, in contrast with the ‘end-of-life’ method that additionally accounts  for the future environmental benefits emerging from scrap that will be generated at end-of-life.

Metal industries like ours are advocating the “end-of-life recycling rate” as the most appropriate indicator for metals while available volumes of scrap are insufficient to match demand.

Steel and construction

The construction and infrastructure industry is our biggest client; a large percentage of the steel we produce ends up in buildings across the world – from the new One World Trade Centre in New York City to low-cost housing communities in South Africa.

Government environmental regulators’ studies indicate that the construction industry is responsible for a huge part of the CO2 emissions and energy consumption and up to 70% of all waste. This has brought the construction industry to the top of the regulators’ list of priorities.

To enable the adequate assessment of the sustainability of buildings and public or civil-works, products used in construction of buildings are increasingly required to provide EPDs for all products used listing clearly the major environmental impacts over different stages of its life-cycle. (Picture 2)

CEN/TC 350 and the importance of Module D

In Europe, to avoid the creation of trade barriers in the common market, the European Commission gave a mandate to its normalisation body, CEN/ TC 350, to develop a harmonised standard to define the methodology to implement and calculate EPDs and assess sustainable performances at building level.

Knowing that the EPDs of products are the basis of their competitive strength in the environmental assessment of a building, all the relevant material sectors took an interest in guiding the calculation method developed under CEN/TC 350 to reflect the specific competitive strengths of the material they represented.

The result was the publication of the final standard, called EN 15804 at the end of 2012. This standard includes a “Module D” which provides the opportunity to account for the benefits of end-of-life recycling of steel in an EPD.

The inclusion of Module D is a major accomplishment which extends the reporting of environmental benefits of recycling from recycled content percentages only to equally include the end-of-life recycling possibilities. This method and inclusion is especially significant for steel products made predominantly from iron ore, for example flat steel products made via the integrated route. Being net generators of scrap, these products can now claim the environmental credits of future recycling in Module D.

This also has other repercussions. If Module D were not included, it would have caused a significant negative impact on the competitive position in environmental assessments for all of ArcelorMittal’s products.

Entrenching Module D into all assessments

Currently Module D - with the end of life recycling benefits -  is an optional module for assessments of buildings and constructions.

The added value of making Module D reporting mandatory is already recognised in Germany (IBU system) and Belgium (Royal Decree on building products) and in France at the beginning of 2014.

Recently, AISI in the United States has shown  interest in  the European methodology to implement EPDs, including our “Module D” approach and the new version of LEED building assessment is also considering EPDs as part of the environmental performance of buildings.