The Canakkale 1915 bridge, which is under construction in North-Western Turkey, is one of these wonders. Strictly speaking, it is being constructed as the World’s longest suspension bridge with a total length of 4,608 meters, including the approach viaducts. With a record of 128,000 tons of steel deployed, the scale of the construction is immense for a single project. And amidst fierce competition for the contract, the winner who succeeded in landing the orders was POSCO. 

POSCO provided steel plates for the tower structures and the bridge deck, along with steel wire rods for the cabling system of the Canakkale 1915 bridge. See the details of this “All POSCO Steel” bridge as  POSCO Newsroom presents worldsteel, “World’s Longest Suspension Bridge Will Connect Europe and Asia.”

Scheduled to open in 2023, the Canakkale 1915 bridge will be a steel-built infrastructure first, spanning the Dardanelles strait that separates the European and Asian continents.

As the Turkish government undertakes an ambitious infrastructure investment programme, parts of the country are being transformed by new mega tunnels and bridges. The Canakkale 1915 bridge is one such project, conceived to open as a tribute to mark 100 years of the modern Turkish republic.

The North Western region of Turkey functions as an important connection between Europe and Asia, with ground traffic currently funnelling through the narrow stretch of land surrounding Istanbul which leads on to the borders of Greece and Bulgaria.

With the span between its two towers sitting at 2,023 metres, the Canakkale 1915 is set to become the world’s longest suspension bridge

Turkey’s rising economic growth as a result of agricultural expansion, increased transit links and the country’s growing popularity as a tourist destination, has led to serious congestion around its major cities.

The growing struggle facing the existing transport system has caused the government to announce its Vision 2023 programme, which aims to boost capacity across road, rail and sea networks.

l A Towering Achievement

The suspension bridge is being constructed in the north west Turkish province of Canakkale and will service the 320km-long Kınalı-Tekirdağ-Çanakkale-Balıkesir motorway which will connect the Anatolian peninsula and East Thrace once completed. Currently, this journey requires a 30-minute ferry ride, but once the bridge is in place this will be reduced to a short drive of just 10 minutes

With the span between its two towers sitting at 2,023 metres, the Canakkale 1915 is set to become the world’s longest suspension bridge, outstripping Japan’s Akashi Kaikyō bridge by 32 metres. Its full length, including the approach viaducts, will stretch to 4,608 metres

Once completed, the Canakkale bridge will have seen 128,000 tonnes of steel deployed in its construction

Formed of a reinforced concrete deck, the bridge structure supporting the road surface will be underpinned by a pair of shear-connected longitudinal steel box beams. These will in turn be interconnected by steel crossbeams that sit on external cantilevers.

The 45-metre wide deck is expected to handle large amounts of commercial and private traffic, with three lanes moving in both directions and maintenance walkways on either side, contributing significantly to the socio-economic development of the region.

The towers, which sit on a pair of steel platforms each mounted just above sea level on massive 65,000-tonne submerged caissons, will make the bridge the fourth tallest in the world, with its striking design stretching 318 metres into the sky.

l A Partnership Forged in Steel

Once completed, the Canakkale bridge will have seen 128,000 tonnes of steel deployed in its construction, a mammoth undertaking for a single company.

As such, the steel elements of the bridge represent a strategic partnership between Turkish and South Korean suppliers, with Turkey’s Çimtaş steel and POSCO agreeing to supply 35,000 tonnes of heavy steel plate for the tower structures, cabling systems and road surface.

The partnership is also supplying 52,000 tonnes of steel plate for the bridge deck and 41,000 tonnes of steel wire rods for the suspension system that will support it.

Unusually, the Canakkale is being run as a ‘design-build’ project. Typically for bridge construction, the design is completed before contractors and suppliers are selected. For this project, however, construction and design take place concurrently, requiring coordination between the architect and contractors from very early on.

Representing a $3bn investment, this record-breaking, steel-built suspension bridge is set to be transformative for the region’s transport systems, with socio-economic knock-on effects for the whole of Turkey and Eastern Europe.

Images: Arup, iStock, Berkaysnklf 

The original content published on the worldsteel’s ‘Our Stories’ section is available at: https://stories.worldsteel.org/infrastructure/worlds-longest-suspension-bridge-europe-asia-canakkale-1915/

In this case, then, what could be done about the carbon that is already existent in the earth’s atmosphere? A company called ‘Climeworks’ came up with an idea that could be an answer to this question. The engineers at Climeworks developed a machine — it’s called ‘climeworks’ as well — that can capture carbon in the atmosphere and store it appropriately. The material that was perfect for building this facility was none other than steel.

How does this ‘Climeworks’ operate and how is steel is utilized here? Let’s find out as POSCO Newsroom presents worldsteel, “Steel-built Carbon Capture Machines Are Removing CO₂ from the Air.”

The Climeworks project has set up a carbon capture and storage facility at a remote site in Iceland that is drawing CO₂  from the atmosphere and safely storing it in the ground.

While the planet is increasingly transitioning away from fossil fuels, there remains the problem of what to do about the increased levels of CO₂ already present in the earth’s atmosphere.

The search for workable decarbonisation tech has been ongoing for some time and the engineers at Climeworks have come up with a potentially workable solution. Indeed, the company is the first to operate a commercial carbon capture programme from ambient air, and steel is central to the technology’s design.

The huge machines which perform the carbon capture process resemble jet engines and use steel and stainless steel throughout their structure. The remote nature of Climeworks’ site locations and the extreme weather and natural wear from the process of carbon capture make steels perfect for the job due to their endurance and corrosion resistance.

The CO₂ collectors have been through many design stages to reach their current iteration, but the model in operation relies on massive fans to draw ambient air through the collector. This air is then filtered to remove CO₂ as the molecules adhere to a specialised material contained within.

Once the filter is saturated with carbon dioxide, the collector is sealed and heated to around 100 degrees centigrade, causing the CO₂ molecules to detach and be collected in a container. This concentrated CO₂ can then be put to use in the commercial sector or seeded deep underground, locking it away.

The gas can be employed in an array of sectors, included carbonated beverages and agriculture. Climeworks’ leading facility in Switzerland pipes CO₂ to a nearby greenhouse and the company also has a deal in place with Coca-Cola.

l Saving the planet

The central idea, however, is to inject the CO₂ into basalt rock where over the course of a few years it will mineralise, sealing it away for millennia. Climeworks plans to provide this service to industries and governments looking to lessen their climate impacts.

A site in Iceland has been operating for a couple of years, already mineralising more than 50 tonnes of CO₂, with plans to install further collectors down the line. A key aspect of success is bringing down the costs, which is difficult without a proven market for the service.

Energy companies and governments are not currently incentivised to operate emissions reversal technology and Climeworks is working hard to reduce operating costs in a bid to reach a commercially viable price per metric tonne of CO₂.

Currently it costs the company between $500-$600 to remove a tonne of CO₂ from the atmosphere, with $100 per tonne the target. As things stand, full scale operation of Climeworks’ tech is too expensive, but the company is confident it can reduce costs significantly over the next five years.

With solar energy 100 times cheaper than 50 years ago and wind energy around 50 times cheaper it is highly possible that efficiencies can be found. And, as with those renewable technologies, if this carbon capture programme is to achieve success it’s likely that steel will remain a key enabling factor.

Image: Climeworks

The original content published on the worldsteel’s ‘Our Stories’ section is available at: https://stories.worldsteel.org/innovation/carbon-capture-machine-co2-climeworks/

However, the prominence of ridesharing services and the advent of self-driving cars are rapidly changing the ways we move around, and according to experts, vehicle ownership will likely decrease.

Despite these challenging circumstances, however, worldsteel believes steel is not only relevant, but it’s also crucial for the development and innovation of future vehicles.

What advantages does steel have, and how can it help take POSCO’s neo-mobility concept even further? Let’s find out as POSCO Newsroom presents worldsteel, “Future Mobility Solutions Will Have Steel at Their Heart.”

As the world’s mobility systems undergo profound changes, providers will continue to be reliant on steel to help overcome a number of key challenges.

Automotive transport sits at a critical junction. Patterns of mobility and the methods of getting from A to B are shifting in response to disruption from new technologies and more sustainable approaches to resource management.

Operators are looking at the ways we move and the environments in which we do it. Vehicle ownership will likely decrease, with integrated ridesharing, sustainable methods of public transport and automated vehicles set to represent a larger proportion of journeys.

This change will have to be reflected in the infrastructure that supports these new methods of mobility. Specially designed street signs and architecture will help signpost journeys for automated vehicles, while the quality and predictability of our road surfaces will grow in importance.

Steel intensive technologies such as battery storage and integrated charging infrastructure for electric vehicles also represent a key enabling factor that must be addressed if the next generation of automotive transport is to achieve mainstream adoption.

Some providers have explored installing charging infrastructure in the roads themselves, with steel belts in the vehicle tyres and steel electrodes under the highway surface allowing for charging to take place while in motion.

l Reinventing the Wheel?

It is not just transport infrastructure that is changing, the essential design of automotive interiors and exteriors are being rethought in line with shifting ergonomic demands. These new vehicles will be more of a shared living or working space on wheels than a traditional car or van.

Renault’s EZ-GO concept comfortably allows for six passengers and with its batteries and engine placed under the floor of the vehicle and a panoramic glass roof design, it offers a ride experience that maximises exterior views and passenger comfort.

As automotive design becomes more aligned with that of interior and living spaces, the need to maximise the room available in vehicles without compromising on safety will only grow.

Also, as populations rise and car ownership is likely to decrease, ensuring public transport services are able to accommodate a rise in passengers is highly important. The need for more efficient and sustainable transport will inevitably lead to more people making journeys in a smaller number of vehicles.

l A Place for Steel

The rollout of automated transport solutions will bring a renewed focus on safety. Some concepts, such as the EZ-GO, will have capped speed limits to ensure safety, as well as light and sound displays for pedestrian awareness due to their silent running.

Even with these measures there will be a need for robust vehicle chassis in case of collision. Advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) can offer this protection without forcing automotive designers to compromise on panoramic views and interior comfort and adaptability.

The light-weighting advantages of AHSS will also be paramount as operators look to squeeze as much performance out of battery technology as possible. Lowering weight without compromising on safety will allow for extended maximum ranges for e-vehicles, with corresponding impacts on networks as charging stations can be more spread out.

Batteries will also require high levels of protection from collisions, with high-strength housings crucial as this allows for battery placement to be optimised for ergonomic considerations without impacting on safety.

High quality electrical steel will also help reduce core losses in e-motors, improving efficiency and boosting range. The extreme strength of new electrical steels means they are also able to withstand high levels of mechanical stress, extending the lifetime of the engine and allowing for smaller high-speed motors that save on space and weight.

The new wave of vehicles will bring a renewed focus on sustainability, safety and passenger comfort. It is clear that if future mobility systems are to overcome all three of these key challenges, then steel will play a key role.

Images: © Copyright Renault Group 2018

The original content published on the worldsteel’s ‘Our Stories’ section is available at: https://stories.worldsteel.org/automotive/future-mobility-solutions/

There is a company that provides premium rollercoasters to the world’s beloved amusement parks such as Disneyland and Universal Studios. Committed to innovation, providing thrilling ride experience and safety, the reputation of Zamperla, a family-run company in Italy, has been built and progressed with steel.

Curious about the company’s history, how it came to be one of the biggest and best amusement rides manufacturers? Find all about it as POSCO Newsroom presents worldsteel, “Steel-built Rides Bring Thrills to Theme Parks across the Globe.”

One of the world’s most prestigious rollercoaster and ride manufacturers is reliant on steel to move people in new and exciting ways in some of the world’s biggest theme parks.

Disneyland Paris. Universal Studios. Coney Island. You could name almost any large theme park in the world and the odds are their visitors will have enjoyed a Zamperla ride. From traditional family rides, all the way to modern, white-knuckle feats of engineering, this family-run company has a global presence and sits at the cutting edge of modern entertainment.

Beginning life in the early 20th century as an equestrian circus, before moving via street cinemas into the amusement ride business in the 1960s, the Italian manufacturer has risen to become a premium and preferred supplier of theme park rides.

Chief Innovation Officer Antonio Zamperla outlines the company’s unique position, saying, “We are the world’s biggest amusement rides manufacturer in terms of the number of rides. We produce more than 250 rides a year, ranging from $40,000 to several million dollars for big projects like those with Disney and Universal. Basically, we cover the whole world.”

l A Family Business

Antonio is the third generation of his family in the amusement ride business that was started by his grandfather more than 55 years ago. Originally, Antonio Zamperla senior was a showman, building and operating rides that he toured around various trade shows and fairs.

This was so successful that eventually colleagues began asking him to build rides for them, leading to the founding of a production company in Vicenza, Italy. This facility, where they produce and manufacture their own steel components and structures, was the basis for today’s globe-spanning manufacturer.

“Steel is at the core of our rides, it’s at the core of our production. We provide entertainment and we move people with steel.”
⁠—Antonio Zamperla, Chief Innovation Officer

Antonio junior has been assembling and installing rides since his early teens, but after various periods working in different sectors of the business he landed in his current role in charge of innovation within the company.

It was his grandfather’s innovative thinking that provided the spark for the company’s incredible growth. Antonio Zamperla senior’s great idea was to develop rides that both adults and children could ride. Back in the 60s, rides were designed with one audience or the other in mind, but Zamperla’s plan was to unite them.

“That drove the whole company basically. Our mindset was to try to put people together to be entertained and to create memories together,” stresses Antonio.

l A Reputation Built with Steel

Antonio shares his grandfather’s commitment to innovative thinking and that is represented in the scale and scope of the amusement rides the company now produces. However, there is another uniting factor between the company’s first rides in the 60s and the modern marvels gracing today’s theme parks. That factor is steel.

Vittorio Babini is the Zamperla company’s Engineering Director, heading up a team of 40 that deal with all the technical aspects of ride design. While the company has more than 50 years’ experience in ride manufacture, their 12-strong rollercoaster team was formed in the late 90s as a dedicated unit.

“The ongoing goal is to optimise the design in order to use all the performance that steel can give to a designer.”
—Vittorio Babini, Engineering Director

The need for a specialized team is due to the extreme engineering challenges presented by this type of ride design. Thrill rides ask a lot more from the design team, the engineering team and from the materials that form the structures and components of the rides themselves.

These rides are often in intensive use all year round, with parks sited in a range of environmental conditions, from the humidity of Florida to the sun-baked climate of Dubai. Faced with these performance challenges, reliability is key, and this is an area where steel can shine.

“We have been using steel since the beginning,” says Babini, “so as a company we have learned to work with steel, design with steel and to engineer steel structures. For us it is the main material for our construction, because of its performance and also the ability that we have to manufacture components with steel.”

l Thrillingly Safe and Reliable

Crafting a rollercoaster is a demanding engineering process, with the considerations of performance, weight and safety all presenting their own unique challenges.

“Steel is a very flexible material for our type of construction,” says Babini. “This is relevant for the structure of the rides, but also for mechanical components. Except for the wood used on certain types of rollercoaster structure, we don’t have any alternatives for this type of construction.

“That’s why we focus our attention on steels. Obviously, there are many types of steels, there are construction steels, specialty steels, high-performance steels. We use all types in our work and in our current production for load-bearing components we use only steel.”

“We are the world’s biggest amusement rides manufacturer in terms of the number of rides.”
—Antonio Zamperla, Chief Innovation Officer

Two crucial parts of design in this field are passenger safety and consideration for the ride experience. Turning the desired rider experience into a set of engineering parameters that meet all relevant safety requirements is a complex and time-consuming process. With these twin factors in mind, the correct choice of materials is paramount.

“I think steel will continue to be one of the main materials used in our industry as fatigue in the structures and mechanical components is the biggest issue we face. The ongoing goal is to optimise the design in order to use all the performance that steel can give to a designer.”

“For rollercoasters in particular the track structure is made from steel and this is not going to change in the coming decades.”

l The Best in Class

An area where the Zamperla company has consistently had to raise their game is in their dealings with Disney. Beginning with their partnership in the late 80s when they were approached to produce rides for Disneyland Paris, Zamperla have now provided nearly 30 rides to Disney parks all over the world.

This makes them the largest supplier in number of rides to one of the world’s biggest theme park operators and the challenge of meeting the entertainment giant’s industry-setting standards is one Zamperla has embraced.

“The manufacture of iconic rides like Dumbo for Disney was a very special moment in Zamperla history,”
—Vittorio Babini, Engineering Director

“The manufacture of iconic rides like Dumbo for Disney was a very special moment in Zamperla history,” says Babini. “Disney is the best in class in our industry and as a result is a very demanding customer.

“Working with them we grew up not only from the technical standpoint, but also in project management because of the complexities of working within their time frames. Starting from the design phase up to installation is a three-year period so it’s very demanding working with Disney but every time it’s a pleasure.”

l Looking to the Future

As the company’s Chief Innovation Officer, Antonio Zamperla is already planning for the next stage of amusement rides, and this involves uniting new technologies with traditional ride structures.

“We are looking at augmented reality,” he says, “we are looking at virtual reality as an inclusive way to bring people together and to share an entertainment.” Something unlikely to change, however, is the need for safe, reliable, high-performance rides and the materials that make them possible.

“Steel is at the core of our rides,” says Zamperla, “it’s at the core of our production. We are a steel manufacturer and we don’t foresee in the near future any kind of change to this.”

“We provide entertainment and we move people with steel.”

Images: Zamperla

The original content published on the worldsteel’s ‘Our Stories’ section is available at: https://stories.worldsteel.org/construction-building/thrill-rides-theme-parks-disney-universal-zamperla/

What makes stainless steel  the go-to choice for the conservationists at St. Catherine’s? POSCO Newsroom presents worldsteel, “Stainless steel cases safeguard ancient manuscripts.”

St. Catherine’s monastery in Egypt is protecting its priceless collection of ancient manuscripts using precision-engineered stainless steel cases.

Situated on the sun-baked slopes of Mount Sinai is the ancient UNESCO World Heritage Site of St. Catherine’s, the oldest continuously working monastery in the world.

With a history stretching back more than 17 centuries, the Greek Orthodox monastery has been able to endure, untroubled by physical attack, under the constant and careful watch of its monks.

This has left both its historic buildings and precious relics completely intact, making the institution’s library a treasure trove of irreplaceable texts, with a collection of early codices and manuscripts second only in size to the Vatican’s.

▲ St. Catherine’s is also known as the Sacred Monastery of the God-Trodden Mount Sinai

With such a vital store of ancient and delicate manuscripts, artworks and architectural structures, a UK-based, non-profit organisation the Saint Catherine Foundation – which has Prince Charles as its patron – was formed to preserve the monastery.

Working in partnership with the Ligatus Research Centre at London’s University of the Arts, the Foundation commissioned a set of steel boxes for storing and transporting rare and precious documents from the ancient library.

Part of a huge conservation project to protect the manuscripts for future generations, these ground-breaking stainless steel cases vastly improve the documents’ longevity and safety during transport and storage.

“These cases are not an inexpensive option, but it is fully justified by each and every item they contain being part of an invaluable collection.” Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees Dimitri Dondos explains that the decision to make these manuscript cases from stainless steel was based on the material’s “inert, non-corrosive properties which are free of acidic emissions.”

“These cases offer superb mechanical protection in the event of impact, if they are dropped, or if they undergo physical stresses during transportation. They also have indefinite endurance.

“These cases are not an inexpensive option, but it is fully justified by each and every item they contain being part of an invaluable collection,” adds Dimitri.

The cases also make use of an “oxygen starvation” system, which, in conjunction with the cases’ physical resistance, provides crucial protection from potential fire damage.

The case design was put together by the Ligatus Research Centre, with Professor Nicholas Pickwoad one of the principle designers. For his research team, the decision to look beyond the choice of materials made in traditional manuscript cases was based on certain key factors.

First, in the extremely dry conditions of the Sinai desert more traditional case designs would deform, whereas steel is unaffected by low humidity and retains its structure. The cases also make use of precision manufacturing techniques borrowed from the steel industry, which allow for rapid and precise production of the cases.

Professor Pickwoad’s team concluded that although the cost of manufacture for a stainless steel box was far higher than traditional alternatives, their superior strength and durability, as well as their near-infinite lifespan, made these manuscript cases more than competitive in price.

With the cases currently in operation, the properties that underpin their stainless steel construction are ensuring that many generations to come will be able to marvel at St. Catherine’s irreplaceable historical artefacts.

Images: The Saint Catherine’s Foundation, iStock

The original content published on the worldsteel’s ‘Our Stories’ section is available at: https://stories.worldsteel.org/innovation/stainless-steel-cases-safeguard-ancient-manuscripts/