As ArcelorMittal, we always want to be close to people. With our newest tool, your house plays the starring role in which visions can become reality. The protagonist of this stage design? Granite® organic coated steel from ArcelorMittal that gracefully wraps your roof - ensuring elegance, durability, and beauty.

We invite you to participate in the creation of a story in which four heroes meet – your dreams, your home, Granite® organic coated steel, and those who will help your dreams come true: manufacturers.

This design tool is dedicated to the Polish market and is currently available in Polish only. More language versions are in the works!

Text: Constructalia
Images: ArcelorMittal Europe

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Due to the coronavirus pandemic, World Expo, like other world events, has been postponed. The event will now take place from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022 in Dubai, UAE. Called Expo 2020 Dubai, it will be the first World Expo ever hosted in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA) region. Expo 2020 Dubai is expected to attract 25 million visitors, and 190 nations have already confirmed their participation including Luxembourg with a 2100 m2 pavilion built with ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products’ steel.

Steel from Belval and Differdange

ArcelorMittal was selected to supply the steel products for the construction of the building’s structure. The 170 tonnes of hot rolled structural steel shapes from the IPE and HE European size series were made in the Luxembourg mills of Belval and Differdange - in electric arc furnaces fed with recycled scrap as raw material. This is today’s most energy and resource preserving production route. As a natural key advantage of steel, the structural components were designed with mechanically fastened connections. At no extra cost, this solution allows for the economical disassembling, transportation, and reassembling of the pavilion for its next-use life.

A breathtaking design inspired by its nation

The pavilion is inspired by its nation: small and ambitious, intriguing and reassuring, and above all generous and open. The overall theme is ‘Opportunity,’ reflecting the country’s history, its present, and its future. The overall shape of the pavilion resembles a Möbius loop, where the twisting of a ribbon yields one single surface with no beginning and no end expressing infinity and, in particular, symbolising the circular economy. The face of the ribbon transiently serves as floor, wall, and ceiling thereby allowing a multifaceted scenography from the starting point to the top floor.

The visitors’ experience begins in the entrance area. As a kind of red carpet, a wide ramp between the inside and the outside skin of the building invites you on a journey of discovery via a gently sloped path to the next floor. It enthrals the visitors as they merge with the pavilion’s exhibition, which in a natural an interactive way displays a series of visuals featuring the country and its people.

The ground floor mainly accommodates the gift shop, restaurant, and the visitor’s ramp to the first floor. The first level hosts a multi-functional area for receptions and conferences, as well as the ramp guiding visitors without interruption towards the top. The second floor, the highest point, is dedicated to an exhibition of Luxembourg’s space economy.

To reach the earth again, a visitor has three options: taking the stairs or the lift are the conventional options, but a slide winding through the picturesque green patio is the fun one.

Key facts

• Typology: Exhibition pavilion
• Size: 2100 m2
• Investor: Luxembourg Government
• Architect: Metaform
• Consulting engineer: AuCARRE
• Engineer of record: WME Global
• General contractor: Nüssli Adunic
• Main contractor: Al Ahmadiah
• Steel fabricator: Iron Steel Makers Industries

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications, Constructalia
Images: Metaform

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Expo 2020 Dubai: Luxembourg Pavilion

Expo 2020 Dubai: Luxembourg Pavilion - Inner steel structure

Expo 2020 Dubai: Luxembourg Pavilion

Expo 2020 Dubai: Luxembourg Pavilion

Citizens and cross-border workers of the Grand Duchy are aware of the major changes underway to improve mobility within Luxembourg: free transportation from 1 March 2020, the development of the bus network, and the extension of the tram line. It was for the Luxembourg tram project that ArcelorMittal’s Rodange plant was chosen to supply grooved rails for the sections going to the station.

ArcelorMittal rails meet Luxtram’s standards

In 2016, Luxtram placed the bulk of the order for section A of the project abroad. The order for section B was the first order from the Luxtram group to ArcelorMittal Luxembourg. It was received in February 2019 for 54G1, grade R200 rails of 18 metres in length. The Rodange site has produced grooved rails of one of the best qualities present on the market for over three years now. These high standards met the requirements of the Luxembourg tram project.

ArcelorMittal Rodange supplied the rails for the switches produced in the Kihn workshops in Rumelange. This is a source of pride for the site and for all of the collaborators working on this project.

A satisfied customer

Luxtram wanted to visit the production site to observe the quality and the end result of the grooved rails that ArcelorMittal Rodange was going to send them. They left very satisfied with the high quality provided on site in the production of these specific rails thanks to analysis of the samples, their G-shape tolerance, and straightness.

In Rodange, approximately thirty people were impacted by the completion of this order for Luxtram. This figure can easily be tripled if we take into consideration everyone from the start of the chain in Luxembourg.
 
The first rails delivered were received on 21 February 2020 at Place de Paris in Luxembourg City and on 4 and 5 March in other streets of the capital of the Grand Duchy.

Text: ArcelorMittal Luxembourg, Constructalia
Images: ArcelorMittal Luxembourg

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54G1 grade R200 grooved rails in Luxembourg

54G1 grade R200 grooved rails at Rodange plant

Customer service team leader quote B

Customer service team leader quote A

ArcelorMittal Europe is pleased to announce two new Environmental Production Declarations for Hot rolled steel coils, including Indaten® weathering steels and Amstrong® high strength steels, and Cold rolled steel coils, including Indaten® weathering steels.

An EPD - Environmental Product Declaration - is an independently verified and registered document that communicates transparent and comparable information about the life-cycle environmental impact of products.

ArcelorMittal Europe is a member of IBU – Institut Bauen und Umwelt e. V. We publish EPDs providing construction product data to demonstrate our commitment to sustainable building deployment all over the world.

Click on the link to discover ArcelorMittal's Environmental Product Declarations.

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Challenges as wind turbine producers aim to meet demand for more powerful generators

In late 2019, the European Union unveiled its ‘Green Deal’ – a roadmap of actions which will help the bloc to boost the efficient use of resources by moving to a clean and circular economy. Increasing the availability of renewable energy – and wind in particular – is a cornerstone of the Green Deal and will see wind energy account for at least half of Europe’s electricity needs by 2050. Meeting this demand will require Europe to install over twice as much new wind energy each year as it managed in 2019. Achieving that target will require significant efforts from electrical steel producers and manufacturers of wind power generators such as ArcelorMittal customer, Indar Wind Energy.

Growth from onshore and offshore installations

According to WindEurope, an association which represents companies active in the European wind energy sector: “Climate neutrality and the Green Deal [will] require Europe to install over twice as much new wind energy each year as it managed in 2019. And the growth needs to come from both offshore and onshore wind.”

Electrical steels are the core component in wind turbine generators. “That means electrical steel manufacturers such as ArcelorMittal are subject to the same market demands in terms of growth and competition as the rest of the supply chain,” notes Xabier Irure, global commercial director for Indar. “Electrical steel suppliers need to meet these challenges if they are to help the wind energy industry to stay ahead in the game.”

NGO electrical steels

ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products has been one of the world’s leading suppliers of the non-grain oriented (NGO) electrical steels used in wind generators for decades. With the market demanding more powerful machines and higher efficiency to respond to industry pressure and initiatives such as the Green Deal, the development of new electrical steels and improvements to existing grades are more critical than ever.

“Development of the electrical steels we need requires an R&D team with a high level of technical skill and an organisation which can produce them,” notes Xabier Irure. “These are some of ArcelorMittal’s main strengths. That’s why ArcelorMittal has been on Indar’s supplier panel for many years as one of our main sources of NGO steels.”

High-tech steels required to meet the challenge

ArcelorMittal is also able to supply the heavy plate which is required to meet market demand for taller and more powerful windmills (turbines). “Onshore turbines are typically between 70 and 160 metres and generate from 2 to more than 6 megawatts (MW) of energy,” explains Xabier Irure. “When it comes to offshore, bigger is better. OEMs are already working on projects which can generate more than 12 MW of energy. These towers will be up to 240 metres in height.”

Organisations such as the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) are forecasting growth in new installations over the next four years. For example, GWEC foresee an average growth rate of 2.7 percent annually. “The need for clean energy is set to increase rapidly in the next few years due to the roll-out of electrical vehicles, and the focus on renewable energy, particularly in Europe,” says Xabier Irure. “Wind power stakeholders, such as Indar Wind Energy, expect our need for electrical steels to boom as a result in the medium term. One of our concerns is the lack of local capacity to meet our needs for NGO electrical steels needs in the EU. Fortunately, we know ArcelorMittal is anticipating this issue and is well prepared to extend its own production capacities.”

Rapid development of new technologies needed

One of the key challenges for Indar is the rapid development of new technologies and specifications for wind turbines. “Just five years ago, the design for a wind energy generator would have been used for 8 to 10 years,” explains Xabier Irure. “Today, three to five years is the life expectancy of a design. Within that time, an improved design will be launched. That implies more product validations, shorter time-to-market, and more complexity.”

About Indar Wind Energy

Indar Wind Energy is a business unit of the Indar Group, a company founded in 1940. Indar Wind Energy designs, manufactures, and delivers wind power generators and provides after-sales service. The company is headquartered in Beasain (Spain) and manufactures generators in Beasain, Segorbe (Spain), and Milwaukee (USA). Since 1998, Indar Wind Energy has delivered over 21,000 generators which can generate more than 30 gigawatts (GW) of energy.

More info: www.ingeteam.com/indar

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Images: Indar, Shutterstock - Gunnar Pippel, Voyagerix, Rudmer Zwerver

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Xabier Irure, global commercial director for Indar

Indar wind energy generator

Wind turbine blades

Wind turbine

Wind turbines

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Since 2014, ArcelorMittal has been working with the SCHRAG Group to publicise the benefits of Magnelis® in the German and eastern European markets. That cooperation has led to Magnelis® being recognised as an exceptional metallic coating which provides a breakthrough in corrosion protection. In September 2019, the Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik (DIBt) granted Magnelis® a Technical National Approval. This approval recognises that Magnelis® resists corrosion for more than 15 years and allows it to be specified for construction applications in Germany and other markets which rely on DIBt standards. For SCHRAG, it means that Magnelis® can be utilised with confidence in the company’s thin-walled cold-formed components, even when they are deployed in highly corrosive atmospheres.

Steel's role

Steel plays a substantial role in SCHRAG’s tailor-made solutions for roofing and cladding which are used in industrial and commercial construction. ArcelorMittal supplies a range of metallic coated and painted coils to SCHRAG. These products are typically utilised to create bent profiles which are used as lightweight parts for roofs and walls. Applications include purlins, transoms, skylight substructures, and moulded parts.

Durability of Magnelis® stands out

"The outstanding properties of Magnelis®, documented in the DIBt approval, have enabled SCHRAG to make full use of Magnelis® in many applications,” says Gunnar Koelsch, head of purchasing at SCHRAG. “For example, Magnelis® ZM310 is the only zinc-magnesium coating which remains durable for more than 15 years according to DIBt. And the approval covers constructions in zones with a corrosivity rating of C4 under the European norm ISO 12944-2. This is unique.”

Magnelis® effectively protects surfaces against corrosion in two ways: as a barrier and as cathodic protection. It also offers excellent protection on cut edges. In these areas, the coating reforms to ensure full protection for the steel substrate. After checking the self-healing effect of Magnelis® on cut edges, DIBt concluded that the coating (minimum weight of ZM310) can be utilised with uncoated edges of up to 6.0 mm. The uncoated edges should not have an aesthetic function. This is the only German technical approval for a metallic coating which includes uncoated edges up to a thickness of 6 mm.

Strong partnership relies on open communication

One of SCHRAG’s goals is to act as a problem solver for its customers. Common projects and long-term partnerships are essential for this as Gunnar Koelsch explains: “A real partnership requires long-term cooperation, commercial and technical transparency. We have found such a partnership with ArcelorMittal.”

The very good partnership between the two companies covers subjects ranging from classic sales topics to joint projects. Both appreciate the open communication, even during negotiations. “This is particularly evident in challenging times such as those we face today,” says Mechthild Janischowsky, market segment manager at ArcelorMittal Commercial Germany. “Models have been developed which offer viable solutions for both partners. This has only been possible through the mutual trust we have developed after decades of working together.”

About SCHRAG

Founded in 1892, SCHRAG began as a small business which produced enamelled, tinned, and galvanised products. Today the company is led by the fourth generation of the family and manufactures lightweight metal solutions for roofs and facades. The SCHRAG Group employs almost 500 people at 16 locations in Austria, Czechia, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and Switzerland.

More information: www.schrag.eu

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Images: SCHRAG Group

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SCHRAG profiles with Magnelis®

SCHRAG profile with Magnelis®

SCHRAG profile with Magnelis®

When it comes to choosing materials, steel, because of its exceptional physical and mechanical characteristics, is the most popular amongst designers. It can be used to rapidly build economical, durable, and safe structures. The steel used to make hot-rolled sections, which can themselves be indefinitely recycled, is made from recycled scrap. It is particularly suitable for machining and shaping. However, it tends to react with agents in the atmosphere to form stable thermodynamic bonds – ferrous oxides and/or salts.

The ability of steel to revert to its natural or original state is called corrosion. In layman’s terms: steel rusts!

Suitable corrosion protection for long-lasting steel

The primary quality of steel - i.e. its ability to retain its physical and mechanical strength, or in the case of a steel structure, its load bearing capacity - is generally long-lasting and is only compromised when corrosion reduces its cross section to such a degree that safety is adversely affected.

The service life of a structure depends on the rate of reaction between the steel and its environment. These reactions depend on the nature and concentration of the corrosive agents present.

Corrosion protection of structures must therefore be considered as intervening in this process in order to prevent the reaction or greatly reduce the rate.

Large numbers of steel structures, some of them a hundred years old, which have benefited from the combination of a suitable corrosion protection treatment and regular maintenance, show impressively the potential of steel. However, these types of structures, requiring high maintenance costs, are no longer acceptable today.

New requirements govern the design of the steel structures of the twenty-first century:

•    Environmental protection policies enforced at both the national and international level have led to a considerable reduction in the amount of corrosive load in the atmosphere over the last twenty years. This has resulted in a noticeable drop in the average corrosion rate of steel and zinc as well as improved resistance of coating systems.

•    The design of steel structures is substantially improved through the effectiveness of welding procedures and the vast range of rolled sections available thus contributing positively to ensure that corrosion protection systems have long service lives. Maintenance and renovation costs continue to fall because the amount of exposed surface area has been greatly reduced and ease of access improved. The ability of new coatings to resist the stresses in their surroundings has been increased considerably. New inexpensive coating methods are employed in fabrication shops and on construction sites.

•    Zinc baths have sufficient capacity and are large enough to allow widespread hot-dip galvanisation of steel structures involving large components.

•    Combining the hot-dip galvanisation technique with adapted paint systems for zinc coatings - so called duplex systems – renders maintenance unnecessary with, in most cases, the corrosion protection not requiring any attention for the entire service life of the structure.

•    Corrosion protection is becoming an integral part of the fabrication process for steel structures.

Text: ArcelorMittal Commercial Sections
Images: ArcelorMittal Europe - Long Products, ArcelorMittal, ArcelorMittal Europe - Flat Products

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Version 2.99 of the A3C: ArcelorMittal-CTICM Columns Calculator software is now available for download.

A3C allows for the calculation of steel and composite columns (partially or totally encased with concrete) in cold and fire conditions. The software fully complies with the EN version of Eurocode.

This version includes the following modifications:

• fire design of steel concrete composite circular sections with embedded steel profiles
• new buckling curves for profiles with flange thickness higher than 100 mm
• new database for steel and profiles (V2020-2)
• new Configuration window
• new functions in the edition of the Calculation report

Download the updated version of A3C for free on our Software page.

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ArcelorMittal Europe has set out the path to net zero by 2050, with pioneering technologies at the forefront of the company’s roadmap for carbon-neutral steelmaking.

• Europe’s largest steelmaker, unveils breakthrough technologies that will take the company to 30% lower CO2 emissions by 2030, and carbon neutrality by 2050.
• ArcelorMittal Europe is investing in two routes to carbon neutrality, Smart Carbon and an innovative DRI-based route, in recognition of the need to act now to reduce CO2 emissions, in line with the EU’s Green Deal and the Paris Agreement.
• Calls for new policy framework, to support the industry in its transition to carbon neutrality, name five market conditions that are needed for Europe’s steelmakers to compete globally.

Smart Carbon and DRI

ArcelorMittal Europe has announced details of how it plans to become carbon neutral by 2050 in its first climate action report. Building on the company’s work that has demonstrated that the steelmaking process can become carbon neutral, the report publishes details of the ground-breaking work underway to reduce emissions by 30% by 2030 before reaching net zero in 2050.

The company is pioneering two breakthrough carbon-neutral routes for steelmaking: Smart Carbon and an innovative DRI-based route.

Smart Carbon is a carbon-neutral steelmaking route that leverages all clean energies – circular carbon, clean electricity, and carbon capture and storage (CCS) - within the high temperature-controlled reduction environment of ironmaking. In its first phase, Smart Carbon will primarily use circular carbon.

Reaching carbon-neutral steelmaking via DRI involves moving from using predominantly natural gas to hydrogen as the key reductant in ironmaking. As this hydrogen becomes ‘green’, the steelmaking process comes close to carbon neutrality.

Complementary technologies will enable progress

While both the Smart Carbon route and the DRI-based route have the potential to deliver carbon-neutral steel by 2050, the important difference between the two routes is that Smart Carbon can deliver results sooner, through its use of complementary technologies which enable incremental progress. Uniquely, Smart Carbon has the potential not only to provide carbon-neutral steel, but also carbon-neutral cement, and the building blocks to make recycled carbon materials to replace polyethylene-based plastics. Smart Carbon can also contribute to CO2 removal, through the increased use of circular carbon, using sustainable biomass and waste, combined with scaling up CCS.

By investing in both routes – and in recognition of the need to act now to combat climate change - this means ArcelorMittal Europe can significantly reduce scope 1 CO2 emissions* – which include all process emissions - by 2030 over a 2018 baseline, while waiting for the large-scale, affordable renewable energy needed for hydrogen-based steelmaking.

ArcelorMittal Europe’s 2030 target therefore combines Smart Carbon technologies and increased scrap usage, specifically by developing new ways to increase the use of low-quality scrap metal – which is hard to recycle - in the primary steel production process.

Leveraging all three clean energies

In the longer-term, both routes have the potential to leverage all three clean energies to achieve carbon neutrality, namely:

• clean electricity (generated by sources such as solar and wind)
• circular carbon (making use of biowaste materials, such as sustainable forestry and agriculture residues, to produce bioenergy)
• carbon capture and storage (capturing CO2 before it is emitted, transporting it and storing it safely underground)

Commenting on the report, Aditya Mittal, President and CFO, ArcelorMittal, and CEO ArcelorMittal Europe, said:

“Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing us all.  Understandably, much attention is currently focussed on navigating the unexpected and unprecedented outbreak of Covid-19.  However, climate change remains a huge long-term challenge that will require diligent attention and progress for decades to come. And like Covid-19, it is not something that one country or one company can solve alone. Carbon emissions also know no border, so it will take a global effort, with all nations and companies playing their part.

“ArcelorMittal Europe is doing a lot of work to develop a path to net zero. The technologies we are working on have the potential to make a big impact. Indeed, steel should and can play a leading role in achieving the vision for Europe as outlined in the Green Deal.   Our research and development team are one of the best in the industry and relish solving complex problems. But it needs a team effort.  The support the EU and member states can give to ensure we have well-designed policy to make large-scale, competitive, carbon-neutral steelmaking a reality, is critical.”

Industrial-scale demonstration projects for every part of the carbon-neutral roadmap

ArcelorMittal Europe has industrial-scale demonstration projects under construction for every part of its carbon-neutral roadmap. The company is building industrial-scale demonstration plants at its operations in Belgium (Carbalyst® and Torero) and France (3D and IGAR in Dunkirk). In Hamburg, Germany, we are in the design and funding phase prior to the investment decision of an industrial-scale project to use hydrogen instead of natural gas in the direct reduction of iron ore (DRI). These demonstration plants will allow the company to scale-up technologies that will be used in the Smart Carbon and DRI-based routes. The progress made has also been possible thanks to financial support from EU member states and European Union funding. ArcelorMittal Europe is now in the process of applying for funding for a further six projects.

While some of the technologies that feature in ArcelorMittal Europe’s roadmap will be ready for commercial-scale use by 2025, and by 2030 many of the Smart Carbon technologies can be mature and partially deployed across our facilities in Europe, the report also highlights the need for the right policy framework to enable European steelmaking to contribute to the EU’s climate targets, particularly given the costs involved.  In total, the estimated investment needed for ArcelorMittal Europe to fully implement Smart Carbon is €15-25bn and €30-40bn for the DRI-based route.  An additional €15–200bn would be required for the associated clean energy infrastructure (see report for more detail).

Geert Van Poelvoorde, CEO ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products, explained:

“I am proud of the work that has brought us this far in our efforts to create Europe’s first and largest carbon-neutral steelmaker. Our progress would not have been possible without the many partners we have on our Smart Carbon and innovative DRI projects. Today, the biggest barrier to transitioning to carbon-neutral steel, beyond the necessary technologies reaching commercial maturity, is the absence of the right market conditions. The financial costs of realising carbon-neutral steelmaking are undeniably huge. However, with a shift in market conditions brought about by having the right policies in place, European steelmakers will be able to unlock the means to reduce emissions from steel globally, while also ensuring the European steel industry remains competitive.”

Medium-term market conditions required

The medium-term market conditions needed include:

1. Creating an environment where carbon-neutral steel is more competitive than steel which is not carbon neutral.
2. A fair competitive landscape that accounts for the global nature of the steel market, addressing domestic, import and export steel dynamics, as well as the distinction between primary and secondary sources to make steel.
3. Access to sustainable finance, to innovate and make long-term investments.
4. Access to abundant, affordable clean energy: the scale of the steel industry’s energy needs are such that concerted cross-sector and government efforts will be required to develop the necessary clean energy infrastructure.
5. Public instruments to accelerate innovative technology deployment to transition to carbon neutral steelmaking.

Carbon Border Adjustment should be introduced in the European Union

The report also reiterates the company’s position that a Carbon Border Adjustment should be introduced in the European Union, which would ensure that EU-produced steel and imported steel tonnes in direct competition would have an equal carbon cost, creating a fair market and, crucially, encouraging investment in lower-emissions steel production.

ArcelorMittal Europe announced its target to reduce CO2 emissions by 30% by 2030 in December 2019, and its ambition to be carbon neutral by 2050 in June 2019.

The ArcelorMittal group will publish its 2030 target later this year.

*ArcelorMittal Europe 30% CO2 reduction target includes: ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products, ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products, and Industeel

Text: ArcelorMittal
Images: ArcelorMittal
Report: ArcelorMittal
Videos: ArcelorMittal

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