Smarter solutions
Stainless steel bolts save the Vasa
Sweden’s royal warship Vasa is held together by over five thousand wrought iron bolts. The iron in these bolts which have been in place since the salvage operation in 1961 has corroded with the passage of time. The ship’s timeworn wooden structure has suffered damaged from the corrosion process.
To guarantee the life of the Vasa for a further one hundred years at least, a decision was taken to gradually replace these corroded bolts with specially designed bolts of high alloy stainless steel. This is a material normally used in the most testing conditions within the oil and gas industry and is manufactured by Sandvik.
“The longer the Vasa can be preserved the better. To be involved in saving Sweden’s national treasure for a further 100 years at least is an honour for us. For this reason we are contributing one of our most advanced special materials for the bolts,” says Peter Gossas, CEO for Sandvik Materials Technology.
See additional information on Sandvik’s website (link opens in new window)
Climate Smart Steel Sheet
In Sweden there are just over 300 ice rinks. It is increasingly common for these venues to have ice available for use all year round. For those who play ice hockey this means great opportunities for training and the development of skills. One disadvantage, however, is the increased energy consumption and consequent costs for those who operate these ice rinks.
Where t
he walls and roof of the ice rink are built with Prelaq Energy steel sheet, developed by SSAB, the energy requirement can be cut by up to ten per cent. The annual energy cost for a normal sized ice rink, on average, is estimated to be SEK one million. By using Prelaq Energy, the energy cost in this case can be cut by about SEK 100,000. Furthermore, the carbon footprint of the rink is also reduced.
The good thermal characteristics of the sheet steel derive from its special paint coat. When it comes to the heating of buildings, Prelaq Energy can also be used to cut energy consumption while ensuring a better indoor climate than traditional, coated steel sheet.
You can read more about it on SSAB’s website (opens in new window):
Prelaq Energy in the Swedish pavilion at World Expo 2010 in Shanghai.
Brains and beauty in Bristol
Mead’s Reach Bridge is an architectonically exciting bridge entirely made of stainless steel for pedestrians and cyclists in Bristol in the west of England. The bridge is designed as a 55-metre arc over the inner harbour area. Outokumpu’s stainless steel is used in an innovative manner – stainless steel plates form the bridge’s deck and the sides are perforated in order to let the light interplay with, and reflect, the water beneath. The maritime character of the climate placed heavy demands on the steel’s corrosion resistance and the structural design necessitated the use of a high-strength material.
Electric car of high-strength steel
Electric-powered cars are part of the vehicle fleet of tomorrow. With the aid of high-strength steel from SSAB, a British manufacturer has developed a new light and strong chassis that is the foundation for a new vehicle that has enhanced loading capacity that offers direct benefits for the environment. It has also been possible to reduce the material costs and simplify the production process itself.
Alloys in waste used in new steel
At the Erasteel Kloster steel plant a method has been developed for the recycling of the valuable alloys (Wolfram, Vanadin and Molybdenum) encased in mill scale. Mill scale is the thin oxide layer that is formed when steel is heat rolled and then flakes off during processing. Over the years this has been gathered into large waste heaps deriving from different steel companies. However, during the last couple of years Erasteel Kloster has been extracting the alloys again and re-using them for new steel. This contributes both to a better environment and good profitability.
New lead-free steel grade for the watch industry
Sandvik Materials Technology has developed the lead-free steel grade Sandvik Finemac® that has the same or better properties than the materials currently available for the watch industry. This is a new material that has been specially developed for the manufacture of small parts in watches. For decades it has been known that lead in steel results in better machinability. Now, concurrently with the global focus on more eco-sensitive alternatives, new lead-free products are being developed.
Additional information on:
www.advantage-environment.com
Simulation model to improve indoor environment
Uddeholm Tooling is working with a simulation model in the steel plant in order to find out how to improve the indoor environment. Based on the simulation and its future recommendations, an action plan will be prepared so as to create, in the first place, a better indoor environment. Subsequently, further investments are made to seal the steel plant which also benefits the indoor environment since more emissions take place via filters and the noise level is reduced.
Höganäs provides heat to the municipality
Höganäs is supplying the municipality’s district heating company with waste heat from the process of sponge iron powder production.
During 2008 Höganäs supplied about 35 GWh, which means that the emissions of carbon dioxide declined by about 10,000 tonnes.
