POSCO hosts 50th global technology convention ‘World Steel Association Technology Committee (TECO)

TECO is a global convention in which global steel companies share their current status of technology development and discuss the current issues that the steel industry is facing. POSCO hosted the 50th TECO for a second time following its first hosting of TECO back in 2010, to celebrate its 50th anniversary this year.

At this convention, more than 60 experts from steel and related industries such as ArcelorMittal, NSSMC, Tata Steel and Voestalpine and also Secretary-General of the World Steel Association joined to shine the conventions. This convention held in Gyeongju, South Korea from April 23rd to April 26th.

Since sustainability has become main global issue, the main focus of the convention was carbon dioxide emissions and energy. The participants in the convention expressed their own perspectives related to the development of iron and steel manufacturing, rolling process technology and development of innovative products and digitalization that lead positive impacts on environment.

Wonderful opportunity to spread POSCO’s world premium technology

POSCO’s own technology that may shine in the convention is ‘high-manganese product and manufacturing technology that is invented first in the world. This unique technology was one of the driving forces of POSCO become world leading company.

Additionally, participants had a great opportunity to experience Pohang Steel Works, the FINEX plant, smart factory and rolling system and then visit POSTECH to see world’s 3rd 4G synchrotron accelerator.

* 4G synchrotron accelerator: ‘Ultra-high-performance gigantic microscope’ that observes the microscopic structures and reaction of materials using synchrotron radiation when accelerating electrons at the speed of light.

The World Steel Association, founded in 1967, is the most authoritative organization in the steel industry, which promotes the understanding and interests of the steel industry. Currently, as many as 170 steel companies, related associations and laboratories around the world are listed as members. The World Steel Association and the Technology Committee shares the technologies developed by individual steel companies in every year to propose joint research on steel technology and encouragement of cooperation.

What are Asphalt Roads Made of?

Asphalt roads are made of a mixture of aggregates, binders and fillers. The aggregates are typically iron and/or steel slag, sand, gravel or crushed rock, and they are bound together with asphalt itself, which is a bitumen.

Asphalt comes from natural deposits, or more commonly, as a by-product of the petroleum industry. It is a prevalent material for waterproofing, caulking and preserving, and is now most frequently used for road surfaces.

The iron and steel slag used as aggregates for asphalt roads are iron and steel by-products. Steel slag is residue from the steelmaking process, made of minerals like silica, alumina and titanium from iron sand, and combinations of calcium and magnesium oxides. During the steelmaking process, slags float on top of the molten iron, forming a barrier against oxygen and maintaining the internal temperature.

In road construction, these are the preferred aggregates as they harden well, enabling a thinner layer of pavement than what can be achieved with crushed stone aggregates. Slag is also very hardy, resistant to both weather and wear.

Steel slag is a sustainable aggregate for asphalt road production. (Source: National Slag Association)

According to the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Use of Steel Slag Aggregate in Pavements report in 2015, a high iron oxide content in steel slag aggregates creates pavement that is both hard and dense, making it a superior choice over natural aggregates such as rocks in creating hot mix asphalt.

Also, when used in bituminous pavements, slag offers the advantages of high skid-resistance, stability, resistance to rutting, fatigue resistance, deformation resistance, high cohesive strength and compatibility with typical asphalt binders. Steel slag is also used as a base course material, the material under the surface layer of an asphalt road, track or surface.

The Environmental Benefits of Steel and Steel Slag

Base course material containing iron and steel slag as well as asphalt mixture containing iron and steel slag were designated as a procurement item under the Green Procurement Law. These materials are recognized as items with environmental benefits. The use of slag minimizes environmental impact as it saves energy and conserves resources.

Steelmakers need to actively find ways to reuse steel by-products to reduce their overall waste. For example, POSCO is dedicated to reusing by-products of steel making as it has a strong commitment to environmentally friendly practices. In 2016, POSCO recycled 98.4 percent of its steelworks-generated by-products, 77 percent of which was blast furnace slag and steelmaking slag.

In fact, 88 percent of POSCO’s blast furnace slag is turned into granulated blast furnace slag for cement material. POSCO carefully tests all of its steel slag products before clearing them for reuse, ensuring that every market item is suitable for its intended application.

Hot slag, or steel waste, is poured into piles to cool before being used for asphalt road construction.(Source: Fractum)

While POSCO works to improve its recycling capabilities, manufacturing and other industries are starting to see the benefits of steel and iron slag. These materials are being used everywhere, from rail ballast to artificial ocean reefs.

Steel slag is far from industrial waste, as POSCO’s efforts show. This steelmaking by-product has serious potential, now and in the future, and is a highly versatile, easily-used material for road making and other applications.

Demand for sustainable materials is on the rise in flourishing industries such as construction and manufacturing. Steelmakers like POSCO who put by-products to full use and invest in research to apply them to different industries will share the economic benefits and play a vital role towards greener business practices in the coming future.

Iron Man in Hong Kong (Photo Courtesy of roy so)

From Iron Scraps to Superhero

Since the character’s debut in 1963, the one constant in the Iron Man series is Tony Stark’s ability to innovate and adapt. The first model was “bulky, battleship gray, and most definitely, low-tech,” at least compared to the more recent suits. Trapped in a prison cell with limited resources, Tony only had heavy scrap iron at his disposal to piece together the very first Iron Man suit, giving it a very crude and unrefined appearance. Tony drastically improves upon these flaws in the Mark II by stripping down the bulky and rudimentary design to a lighter, stronger, and more flexible armor, which in turn took his flight capabilities to another level.

Over time, further adjustments and improvements were made in material, color, and function – allowing him to fly further, dive into the oceans, and enter deep space. He even began to use a technology that could store the suit in his bone marrow, making portability a much simpler affair. Through each series, each battle, and each villain, Tony customized the suit to make it stronger, more advanced, and more resilient.

Since the 1960s, Iron Man has transformed from a comic book character breaking free from prison to a Hollywood superhero grabbing missiles in mid-air. His ability to adapt and innovate his suit has made him one of the most powerful superheroes in the Marvel Universe.

The Iron Man Hall of Armor at Innoventions, Disneyland (Photo courtesy of HarshLight)

Similarities between Iron Man & POSCO

If there is one thing Tony Stark and POSCO have in common, it’s their obsession with innovation. POSCO was founded in March 1968, almost 5 years after Tony Stark emerged from a Vietnamese prison wearing his first Iron Man suit in Marvel’s Tales of Suspense (#39). Both began with some basic iron and steel, and both continued to advance with hard work, innovation, and some high-tech metal alloys. It is that continuous innovation that also drives POSCO forward.

Also, like Iron Man, POSCO’s world premium products are already used to fly the skies, cross the seas, and withstand crushing pressure. POSCO’s PosMAC is built to improve upon galvanized steel and strengthen specific areas by adding materials such as magnesium and aluminum – making the steel lighter, stronger, non-corrosive, and, like Iron Man, self-healing.

Other innovations include the award winning, and vibration resistant, PosCozy, which combines manganese Z-clips with continuous galvanized steel plates. PosCozy has higher resistance to vibrations than general steel, “making the sound of children running on a floor sound like noise heard in a library.”

With its eyes on the auto industry, POSCO has made advances in automotive steel with PosM Steel, a “dream material” five times stronger than conventional automotive steel and which has excellent impact absorption qualities – a quality that (SPOILER ALERT) Howard Stark would have appreciated.

Even though POSCO has yet to develop its own freeze-beam or arc reactor that can power an entire building and give people superpowers, here at POSCO, our researchers, engineers, and specialists continue to take steel technology to the next level. POSCO is already one of the top steel producers in the world and consistently recognized for its advanced tech steel products & sustainability programs. Used in buildings, cars, planes, and even the day-to-day objects lying around the house, POSCO’s steel might not be able to protect mere humans from supervillains but it sure makes the world a stronger place.

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With the emergence of fighting robots taking center stage in the beginning of the seventies, special effects, animation and overall excitement grew around giant machines battling in epic melees of iron and steel.

From the Drawing Board to the Big Screen

Early on, Japan and South Korea released animations featuring large robots, “Gundam”, “Mazinger Z” and “Robot Taekwon V”, forged from super strong alloys. The machines were built as weapons against forces of evil, and over the course of several seasons, had many successful campaigns against evil-doers.

Popularity for enormous robots built for combat took off not only in Asia, but also in the US, where different adaptions were created. While Voltar the Invincible, Iron Man and other man-made machines kept the world in check, dramatic clashes between Transformers’ Autobots and Decepticons were leaving cities in ruins.

During that same time, robots were being incorporated into Hollywood’s sci-fi and futuristic movie plots more often. The Star Wars saga, Robocop and Blade Runner, all had robots that were built for one purpose – to destroy.

Steel Warriors

Entering in the new millennium, fighting robots continued to thrive. Robots were not only fighting in fiction, but also in reality. The hit 2000 TV show, “Battle Bots”, had engineers from around the world designing and building real-life robots to ravage their competition.

In 2007, director Michael Bay completely reimagined and reinvented the Transformers series into a larger-than-life action-packed film – winning global acclaim and nominated for three academy awards, including best visual effects.

In Roger Ebert’s review of “Transformers”, he says that “the robots, created by Industrial Light and Magic, are indeed delightful creatures; you can look hard and see the truck windshields, hubcaps and junkyard stuff they’re made of. And their movements are ingenious, especially the scorpion-like robot in the desert.”

Building on the momentum of the Transformers series, the 2007 movie, “Real Steel”, soon took the spotlight for sparring robots. In the future, human boxers have been replaced by robots, who just like the Ali’s and Sugar Rays of our time, duck and jab at each other with their human operators, controlling their movements.

The heroic protagonist of “Real Steel”, is not only the former boxer-turned robot operator, but also the almost-forgotten steel robot itself which became a winning success in the underdog story.

Machine’s Last Stand

Giant, earth-saving robots piloted by humans more recently took their stand against even larger prehistoric-looking alien invaders in Academy Award-winning director, Guillermo del Toro’s “Pacific Rim”.

In the film, the gargantuan robots, called Jaegers, were built by the world’s military and are piloted by an elite group of individuals that must connect not only with their partner, but also the machine to defeat their enemy.

Each Jaeger is built differently, and each has a unique ability that will help it bring down the giant alien monsters. After several Jaegers are destroyed in hard-fought battles, the remaining two are victorious against the enemy – with their steel structures largely to thank.

Stories films involving colossal fighting robots will most likely continue to entertain us for some time to come. With space exploration and technology being the main theme around much of the movies that are coming out, there will always be space in the script for an epic giant robot battle.

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In fact, some of heavy metal’s most notable acts have found inspiration in the world of steel, an industry that helped form their identities and define their sound.

Metal Movers

An offshoot of rock music, heavy metal captivated teens and twentysomethings when it emerged in the late 1970s. In fact, with its distinctive grinding, feedback-heavy guitar riffs and powerful drum beats, it was less a musical movement and more a force of nature. It grabbed a hold of music fans and sent them into a trace, their heads moving up and down, fists thrown high into the air – creating a generation of self-styled “head bangers” and “metal heads.”

Along with the music came loud and outrageous clothing, hairstyles and even behavior – and the genre’s popularity grew, eventually spawning dozens of sub-genres of its own. Several decades later, the steel-inspired musical revolution is still going strong, with legions of metal heads still enthralled by its hard-edged sounds.

Early Influences

The first notable mention of heavy metal in a song was in American act Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild,” released in 1969, and famous for appearing on the soundtrack of seminal motorcycle road movie Easy Rider.

However, the term “heavy metal” had already entered parlance. Popular (although probably apocryphal) legend has it that the expression was first coined by a music critic who dismissed Jimi Hendrix’s influential guitar-led rock as sounding “like heavy metal falling from the sky.”

Forged in the UK

Although there had already been talk of “heavy metal” in the United States, the genre was shaped in the Midlands of the United Kingdom, the heart of the country’s then-booming steel and iron trade. Its founding fathers were the likes of Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, bands whose entire lives were formed by the steel trade.

Black Sabbath’s frontman, the gregarious Ozzy Osbourne, famously worked in a car factory by day and performed with his band in the evenings. The band debuted in 1968, but it was not until it released its sophomore album “Paranoid” in 1970 that the rock world sat up and paid attention.

Already there was a prominent metal theme to the music, noticeable in the album’s anthemic “Iron Man.” The track was so named because, in Osbourne’s words, it “sounded like a gigantic iron man walking about” and its rhythms recalled the sounds of the metal factory floor – hardly surprising considering most of his Black Sabbath bandmates were also factory employees.

Despite the success of Black Sabbath and fellow Midlands rockers Led Zeppelin, it was not until the early 1980s that heavy metal’s popularity would really start making waves.

Some felt this 1970s genre needed something more to avoid becoming a mere flash in the pan. So in the following decade, acts like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden would go on create lasting legacies and identities for this exciting style of music.

Metal Mania

Judas Priest singer and founder Rob Halford explained to the Guardian in 2010, “When [the rest of the band and I] were kids walking to school, we’d walk past these metal foundries and see the molten metal coming out of the big vats. We were literally breathing in the fumes from these metal works, breathing in metal before heavy metal had even been invented. I’d be at school trying to do English literature and the classroom would be shaking because of the machinery.”

Guitarist Glenn Tipton added, “We really did grow up in a labyrinth of heavy metal – huge foundries, big steam hammers.”

With their flamboyant clothing and distinctive sound, Judas Priest were one of the first British heavy metal acts to break into the American mainstream. It was then perhaps fitting that the band’s sixth album, “British Steel,” released in 1980, was the LP that skyrocketed them from underground club popularity to international super-stardom, selling out arenas and even breaking into the American Billboard Top 40 albums chart.

The album was nothing if not an ode to the act’s steel roots. Opening track “Rapid Fire” is replete with lyrics that speak of “forging furnaces” and “hammering anvils,” while the album’s finale is the fittingly named “Steeler.”

Second Wave

In the mid-1970s, the genre found its second wind the form of the so-called New Wave of British Heavy Metal.

Prime movers in this new movement were Iron Maiden. Unlike the act’s predecessors, Iron Maiden hailed from London, rather than from the steel-producing Midlands. By this point, though, steel and iron were so firmly entrenched in the genre’s DNA that there was no way the link could be broken. The band’s name itself was a nod in the direction of heavy metal’s origins, and the group recorded a number of tracks that made reference to both steel and iron.

And although most of their original members were Londoners, Iron Maiden’s success peaked when the group recruited Bruce Dickinson, a singer from Sheffield, the traditional heart of the British steel industry.

Global Passion for Metal

By the mid-1980s, heavy metal was a global phenomenon, with North American artists like KISS, Guns ‘n’ Roses and Van Halen borrowing heavily from the British sound and look.

Steel, however, kept its significance for heavy metal bands from all over the world, even those without a direct link to the metal industry.

Metalworking themes have become impossible to shake off, with artists like America’s Metallica, Steelheart, Anvil and parody act Steel Panther, as well as Sweden’s Steel and Germany’s Steeler, all very obvious examples.

Countless other heavy metal acts, meanwhile, have made reference to steel in some form or other, including albums such as Pantera’s “Reinventing the Steel,” Saxon’s “Wheels of Steel” and Manowar’s “The Triumph of Steel” to name but a few.

Although the Midlands of England is no longer the epicenter of the world’s steel trade – or the heavy metal movement – it remains the spiritual home of both. And it appears that for metal heads the world over, heavy metal and steel symbolism will forever go hand-in-hand.

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The steel industry continues to face challenges in many areas, but the outlook for the metal seems to be generally positive. Along with North America and Europe, emerging economics such as South and Southeast Asia are showing resilient growth in their steel forecasts.

One of the reasons why this metal is so carefully observed is due to its role as a key contributor to the circular economy. As a permanent and affordable material that can be repeatedly recycled, its sustainability makes it more appealing than competing industrial materials.

Specific markets are looking strong in terms of steel demand – the automotive sector will maintain growth momentum, supported by strong demand in many countries, and the construction sector is showing steady improvement.

For 2015, the world’s crude steel production amount reached 1,622.8 million tons, and production decreased in all regions except Oceania. Annual production of crude steel for Asia in 2015 was 1,113.8 million tons, 166.2 million tons for the EU, 110.7 million tons for North America and 43.9 million tons for South America.

In 2015, the leading steel-producing countries included: China, Japan, India, the United States and Russia. Countries following closely behind are South Korea (69.73 million tons of crude steel production), Germany (42.68 million tons), Brazil (33.25 million tons), Turkey (31.52 million tons) and Ukraine (22.93 million tons).

South Korea’s economic growth has been greatly aided by the steel market, and it is ranked first for countries using the most steel per capita (1,113.6 kilograms). POSCO has been a crucial part of this growth, placing in the international rankings for top steel-producing countries. The company produced 41.975 million tons in 2015.

We can see there have been relatively modest changes for each of these economies in the table above, and we can expect more shifts in the coming year.

For more information on The World Steel Association’s expected outcomes for 2016 and 2017, click here.

Read on to learn some interesting facts about how steel has been utilized in the histories of the top five steel giants.

5. Russia

Crude Steel Production: 71.11 million tons

Interesting fact: The city of Magnitogorsk, celebrated as the “steel heart of the motherland,” is home to Russia’s largest iron and steel works. During the 1930s, the city was designed under one of Stalin’s Five-Year-Plans, when he erected the then-largest steel plant in the world, the Stalin Magnitogorsk Metallurgical Complex.

4. United States

Crude Steel Production: 78.92 million tons

Interesting fact: Andrew Carnegie, who made his fortune on steel, was the first to initiate the development of a mass-produced version of the material. With his solution, he built the St. Louis Bridge, and convinced people of its stability by having an elephant walk across it on its opening day.

3. India

Crude Steel Production: 89.58 million tons

Interesting fact: The use of iron in India goes back to ancient times, and is even mentioned in epic and religious Sanskrit literature. The Vedas and the Puranas, both sacred texts of Hinduism, reference the metal and speak of its uses during times of peace and war.

2. Japan

Crude Steel Production: 166.18 million tons

Interesting fact: The traditional katana sword, wielded by samurais, is crafted using only the purest steel, tamahagane (“jewel steel” in Japanese). The sword is made from shoveling 25 tons of iron-bearing river sand and charcoal over a course of three days and nights into a tatara, a clay furnace built specifically for a single batch of tamahagane. The smelting process yields about two tons of the material.

1. China

Crude Steel Production: 803.83 million tons

Interesting fact: After inventing the predecessor to the compass (the Sinan) during the Han Dynasty, China developed some of the first compasses in the 11^th century. While initially made of lodestone, magnetized steel needles were used as the core pointer of the navigation tool, suspended in water to create a wet compass. Trading ships during the Song Dynasty were then able to travel to as far as Saudi Arabia without getting lost, expanding on their trade routes.

Production rates according to the World Steel Association (worldsteel) 2015 World Crude Steel Production Performances.

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Birmingham, Alabama was established in 1871 at the foothills of the Appalachians near one of the world’s richest mineral deposits. It was named after Birmingham in the United Kingdom – which was then the center of that country’s steel industry.

Soon after its foundation, the city grew quickly and became known as the “Magic City” for its extraordinary post-Civil War expansion. Its strategic location near Jones Valley, a source of coal, steel ore and limestone, made it a perfect place to produce steel and set up its crucial railway system.

Steel to the End

For centuries, its steel mills and plants were the thriving heart of the city’s economy. Birmingham’s wealth and identity was built on iron and steel (which is an alloy of iron), and was almost solely dependent on these materials.

However, the city’s industrial heavyweight status was not to be permanent. Economic lulls have occurred, and Birmingham has had to revive itself numerous times because of war and epidemics – the city’s industries were hit especially hard by a cholera outbreak of 1873 and the Great Depression in the early 20^th Century.

A Bonded Community

World War II reawakened the city’s industry, however, resulting in an influx of jobs and a subsequent population boom.

Although still thriving, in the postwar years the city became a setting for civil unrest, Birmingham suffered heavily from conflicts relating to civil rights issues. Many residents fled to Birmingham’s outer suburbs, shaken by the discord.

Time has passed since those turbulent years, though, and a tide of developments is slowly taking the Steel City on the road back to prosperity. Birmingham has moved on from its challenges, refashioning itself into a place that is both respectful of tradition yet relevantly livable.

Much of the city’s character is defined by its past, and has led to a great preservation that helps it carve out a unique identity of its own.

The First and Last American Furnace

One of the noteworthy sites in the city is Sloss Furnaces. A 32-acre plant that produced pig iron for almost a century beginning in the late 1800s, it was deemed a National Historical Landmark in 1981.

Created in 1880 by one of the founders of Birmingham, Colonel James Withers Sloss, the city’s first blast furnace produced 24,000 tons of iron during its first year of operation.

After retiring, Sloss sold the company to investors, which led to its reorganization and expansion. Before its last blast in the 1970s, the furnaces was still know as one of the largest sellers of pig iron in the world.

It is now an urban industrial museum and showplace dedicated to iron art. The site often hosts conferences and events, many of which are dedicated to metalworking. It is the only blast furnace in the United States that has been restored for the public, adding to its cultural importance.

Confederate Steel

There are also the Tannehill Ironworks, once a complex that produced iron for the Confederate military during the Civil War. As well as its status as a Historical State Park, it also hosts the Alabama Iron and Steel Museum.

Tannehill was seized during Union General James Wilson’s raid, and destroyed in 1865, but later partially reassembled so as to keep a small furnace operating until 1867. After other rebuilding attempts, Tannehill was abandoned until it was turned into a facility for visitors to view the Confederate war effort.

The museum is meant to represent the state’s antebellum and Civil War heritage, showing that while the city’s industrial golden era may be behind it now, the trade still remains a vital part of its heritage.

Steel Mythology

The city is also the home of the largest cast steel statue in the United States. The colossal statue of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and forges, was designed by Italian artist Giuseppe Moretti and cast from local steel in 1904. It has overlooked Birmingham since the 1930s, sitting atop Red Mountain, and visible from almost any point of the city.

Vulcan was originally intended by city leaders to advertise Birmingham and the state of Alabama to the world through the St. Louis World’s Fair, held in the year of the statue’s unveiling. It proved to be an extremely popular exhibit, winning the Grand Prize and medals for the sculptor and foundry.

Eventually, Vulcan was moved back home, where the Works Progress Administration (WPA) helped get a new park and museum ready for him. He is considered one of the most significant landmarks of the city, and acts as a symbol of Birmingham’s industry-rich past.

Rooted in Steel

Besides being a city rich with American history, Birmingham has also become a modern metropolis in its own right. In recent times, new businesses have thrived, and new cultural institutions are sprouting up all throughout the city.

Right now, downtown Birmingham is developing fast, with a 58 percent increase among 24-to-35 year olds settling in between 2010 and 2014. And understandably so – tech and startup hubs, a vibrant music scene and the University of Alabama-Birmingham’s presence in the medicine and healthcare fields are making the area a burgeoning location.

Birmingham has changed a lot through the years, but it has not forgotten its roots. While it is not completely fueled by a steel economy anymore, the Steel City is still a remarkable destination for anyone interested in the country’s industrial past – and provides an interesting glimpse into the South’s revivification.

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In comes the triangle. Remember the triangle? You may have first encountered the simple instrument in grade school, as a tinkering tool to play with for band practice. It is often disregarded as a legitimate instrument and forgotten about, but the percussive idiophone should not be taken for granted.

Basic Formation

Unassuming in composition (it is literally an outline of a triangle), it is one of the only percussion instruments that is made entirely out of metal. It is usually shaped from a steel bar into an equilateral or isosceles triangle, with an opening at one of its corners.

Historically, the triangle was created from both solid iron and steel rod, but is now primarily made from steel. It comes with a playing apparatus, usually a steel beater, and hangs suspended from a fishing line. The thin suspension line lets the instrument vibrate freely and create its signature noise.

The simple triangle’s sound is affected by the sizes and materials it comes in; the preferred orchestra size is between six to nine inches in diameter and played with a steel or wooden beater, which dictate a distinct note. The instrument’s tones range diversely from a shimmering trill to a more substantial, all-encompassing ring, all depending on what the conductor wants.

From Rituals to Symphonies

Ancient Egyptians used the sistrum during dances and religious ceremonies. Today, it is considered to be the percussive precursor to the triangle.

The triangle was first introduced into the world in the 16th century, but it is actually a descendent of the ancient Egyptian percussion instrument called the sistrum, which was used for worship and other religious purposes. Percussion instruments were originally meant for three main purposes: religious ceremonies, military signals, and dance.

The triangle we know of today made its initial appearance as a part of Medieval religious ceremonies, showing up in paintings of Bacchic processions alongside pipes and cymbals. Yet unlike its modern rendition, the triangle of the Middle Ages had rings. (The rings disappeared in the nineteenth century.)

Now, the triangle is a permanent member of the modern orchestra, originally used as a way for composers to add a bit of a sparkle to their music. Out of all the musicians, the triangle player has the most unnerving role within a composition. They cannot risk trial entry during a performance since the tone can linger, so they must be very careful to make sure they play the right note at exactly the right time.

Concerto in Steel

For a post for the Utah Symphony, professional triangle player Eric Hopkins noted the difficulty and nuance in mastering triangle performance. Most think it just requires hitting a steel triangle with a baton, but it actually takes more effort and skill than this obvious method.

It eventually evolved and transitioned into compositions by Mozart and Beethoven, and nowadays, we see it as a permanent member of complete orchestras around the world. Franz Liszt was the first to make a solo symphony featuring the triangle, as heard discreetly down below in “Piano Concerto No. 1”.

Beyond the Classics

The triangle can appear to have a difficult time fitting in next to main attraction instruments such as the violin or the piano. However, the three-pointed musical underdog has traveled far from western classical music, now taking part in the folk and pop genres with its unifying sound. Both John Deacon of Queen and Joni Mitchell have featured its characteristic clang in their tunes.

In folk music, forró and rock music, the triangle is played by hooking it over the hand so that one side can be muted by the fingers to vary the tone. It is popularly used in Cajun music, where it is used as a strong beat, especially if no drums are part of the performance.

Light in Weight, Unavoidable in Sound

Without knowledge of its sensitive nature, it can be hard to take the fine triangle seriously. But by understanding that through appropriate manipulation of the instrument’s timbre and articulation, its musical elements can be conveyed with more complexity. Being especially particular to the way the triangle is handled is the key to playing it successfully.

Its steel frame gives it this unique chime, and while it does not play the most notes within a symphony, it has its virtues, particularly for its overarching tonal blending capabilities.

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Kaohsiung’s metamorphosis from a quiet town to a major industrial hub began in the late nineteenth century under Japanese colonial rule.

In 1900, a railway was built between Kaohsiung and Tainan, which had previously been southern Taiwan’s most significant town. Shortly thereafter, harbor facilities for large ships began to crop up, setting the stage for the establishment of Taiwan’s first iron and steel mill in 1919. Steel production continued to increase with an additional steel mill built in the 1970s.

As the city’s high tech industries continue to glisten with an ever-growing luster, the Kaohsiung City Government is working to strengthen its cultural identity to showcase the crucial importance of steel.

Steel by the Sea

Perhaps one of the most notable depictions of the city’s cultural transformation is the Pier 2 Art Center, Kaohsiung’s premiere art district.

Two decades ago, the area was home to a cluster of abandoned warehouses. But in the early 2000s, the site was converted into a venue for artistic creation and experimentation by government authorities and members of local cultural communities.

The project has since led to the establishment of a sprawling campus of large, sophisticated spaces developed to host a variety of activities such as craft fairs and art shows. Included among them are exhibition venues and stores operated by emerging Taiwanese cultural and creative product designers like the Yan Chen Metal Workshop, which uses its retail space to sell jewelry and host metalworking classes.

In 2015, the Pier 2 Art Center also launched an artist residency project. Under the program, the city government subsidizes residencies at the site, typically for periods of about three months. As of this past March, 37 Taiwanese and international artists had participated in the project.

Celebrating Steel

The Kaohsiung City Government’s Bureau of Cultural Affairs has also organized a range of cultural events and art fairs at the Pier 2 Art Center, such as the Kaohsiung International Steel & Iron Sculpture Festival.

The biennial event was established in 2002 to celebrate the seaport city’s historical relationship with iron and steel. Like several of Taiwan’s other festivals, the Steel and Iron Festival features art that draws on materials vital to its local economy.

The event showcases the often overlooked aesthetics of iron and steel sculpture from an international perspective, integrating a number of specially commissioned works by metal craft artists.

Distinguished steel and iron sculptors from around the globe convene at the event where they fabricate new works over a two-week period from approximately 120 tons of materials provided by a locally based steelworks. Once completed, their ostentatious metal structures are installed along the pier, adding a renewed vibrancy to the city’s cultural landscape.

In addition to creating new works, participating artists also provide the public with insight into the subtleties of ferrous metal sculpture through public workshops and lectures. The festival also offer historical tours for those who want to learn more about the city’s relationship with ferrous metals.

Science, Steel and Spiraling Slides

The rapid growth of Kaohsiung over the past century was no doubt catalyzed by outstanding breakthroughs in technology. These advancements are not only celebrated through the city’s festivals, but also exhibitions at the National Science and Technology Museum (NSTM).

Opened in 1997, the NSTM aims to enrich citizens’ knowledge of science and technology, and record and present Taiwan’s related achievements. Exhibitions on scientific principles and applications that complement the local heavy industries not only create educational opportunities, but also enrich the culture of local industrial communities.

Since its establishment, the museum has since grown to be the world’s second-largest science museum, and is constantly adding attractions to allure even more visitors. Last year, for example, the NSTM unveiled a giant spiraling slide, which lets visitors slide from the top to the bottom in 12 seconds at a top speed of 67 kilometers per hour.

It enables visitors to not only experience the fun of sliding at a high speed, but to learn about physics-related subjects such as free fall, centrifugal force, friction and centripetal force. The slide helped draw about 800,000 visitors to London’s Tate Modern art gallery within three months following its launch in 2014.

The slide is constructed of acrylic glass and, appropriately enough for Kaohsiung, stainless steel.

As Taiwan’s steel city continues to transform into a capital of culture, it is certain that its steel roots will not soon be forgotten.

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Masamune: Japan’s Legendary Swordsmith

Masamune is widely recognized as Japan’s greatest swordsmith—so much so that he has reached an almost legendary status. He created swords and daggers in the Soshu tradition between the late 13^th and early 14^th centuries, according to most historians. His swords are reputed for their superior beauty and quality—remarkable in an era when sword-making steel was often impure.

A legend tells of a test where he was challenged by Muramasa, another great swordsmith and one of his supposed students, to see who could make a finer sword. When both swords were finished, they tested the results by suspending the blades in a small creek. Muramasa’s sword cut everything that passed its way, but Masamune’s cut only leaves.

As Muramasa taunted his master for his sword’s ineptness, an onlooking monk approached and explained what he had seen. “The first of the swords was by all accounts a fine sword; however it is a blood thirsty, evil blade, as it does not discriminate as to who or what it will cut,” he said. “The second was by far the finer of the two, as it does not needlessly cut that which is innocent and undeserving.”

An award for swordsmiths called the Masamune prize is awarded at the Japanese Sword Making Competition to a swordsmith who has created an exceptional masterpiece.

John Fritz: Father of the American Steel Industry

Also known as the “Father of the U.S. Steel Industry,” John Fritz was an American pioneer of iron and steel technology. Born in 1822, Fritz began his steel-centric career at the tender age of 16. He became an apprentice in the trades of blacksmith and machinist—the latter involving repairs of agricultural and manufacturing machinery, such as the simple blast furnaces of the time.

He then went on to work in a rolling-mill, where he was responsible for all machinery. He discovered flaws in design and construction, which he then corrected either by his own inventions or by those which he adopted and introduced.

Fritz was among the first to introduce the Bessemer process to the United States. He also proposed open-hearth furnaces, among other improvements, thus paving the way for the expansion of the steel industry. The John Fritz Medal, established on Fritz’s 80^th birthday in 1902, is awarded annually by the American Association of Engineering Societies for scientific or industrial achievement in any field of pure or applied science.

Jan Liwacz: Holocaust Survivor and Master Blacksmith

Polish native Jan Liwacz was detained and arrested by the Nazis in 1939. After being kept in multiple prisons, he arrived at Auschwitz the following year. As a master blacksmith, he was assigned to a kommando, manufacturing the camp’s infrastructure elements such as gratings, handrails, banisters and chandeliers. Yet, he is perhaps most known for his work on the infamous wrought-iron sign spanning the entrance of the concentration camp.

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Bearing the contemptuous phrase “Arbeit Macht Frei” (“Work Sets You Free”), the gate itself was constructed under German orders by Polish political prisoners in the metalworking detail under Liwacz. It is believed that, in an act of defiance which went unnoticed, the prisoners reversed the B in “Arbeit,” making it appear upside down.

In 1944, he was transferred to Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp. After the liberation of the camp one year later, Liwacz trekked to Bystrzyca Kłodzka, Poland, where he started working at a local forge. He remained there as an artist blacksmith. After his retirement, he continued teaching artisan smithery in a local vocational school until he passed away in 1980.

Tony Swatton: Hollywood’s Renowned Propmaster

As a young boy, UK-born Tony Swatton passed his days cutting gemstones, making knives and silversmithing. When he was 17, Swatton attended a renaissance fair where he observed another blacksmith making armor. Soon thereafter, he made copies of the blacksmith’s equipment and used them to make a helmet. Just a decade later, he had refined his skills enough to open his Sword and the Stone workshop in North Hollywood where he began selling products to the likes of Euro Disney and Michael Jackson.

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His work attracted the attention of film corporations, and in 1991, he was employed to do his first film work on Hook, making swords. He has since become the mastermind behind some of Hollywood’s most recognizable props, working on more than 200 films including The Hunger Games and Pirates of the Caribbean franchises, as well as TV shows such as Sleepy Hollow and Revolution.

At his Burbank workshop, Swatton forges everything from historically accurate swords, to knives, to suits of armor, and hosts his own web series, Man at Arms.

Despite its thousand year old history, blacksmithing remains just as important today as it did in its early years. There’s no doubt that blacksmiths will continue to play a vital role across numerous industries as time goes on.

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