Almost everyone can picture a sports stadium, an airport, or a bridge – we have all either been in, at or on one of them at one point in our lives. A huge football stadium that can close its roof, an airport by the sea that is impervious to corrosion, and a glass-bottomed bridge that allows only the most steel-hearted of pedestrians to look deep into one of the most famous canyons on earth – all made possible through innovations in steel.

Rolling Back the Roof at NRG Stadium

This year’s pro-football championship game between Atlanta and New England will be held at Houston’s NRG Stadium where hardcore Falcons and Patriots fans are rushing to get their hands on some of the few tickets left. Tickets are reselling for an average of $5,101, but if you want a view from the 50 yard-line it is going to set you back USD $11,000 to $12,000.

NRG Stadium, completed in 2002, is famous for being the first-ever NFL stadium with a retractable roof – allowing events to be held in open air or air-conditioned comfort.

The Houston Texans play at NRG Stadium (formerly Reliant), November 18, 2007. (Photo courtesy of Ed Schipul)

Designed to utilize the principles of kinetic architecture, the roof is able to open and close without reducing the overall structural integrity. The roof’s panels are 117m x 152m and supported by two sections of five trusses each that meet at the 50-yard line. These two sections are supported by two supertrusses that run for almost 300m each along the field’s sidelines. Along each supertruss is a wheel rail to guide the roof as it opens and closes, in as little as 10 minutes.

With so many moving parts, the retractable roof represents an amazing feat of engineering. The steel beams, trusses, and motors weigh thousands of pounds, but it is still able to zip open in a few minutes. Come rain or come shine, ticketholders will be able to stay dry until the winner raises the Lombardi Trophy at the big game on Monday.

Stainless Steel at Incheon International Airport
With over 49 million passengers each year, Incheon International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world, and consistently ranked as one of the best. Internationally praised for its remarkable facilities and services, which include a spa, golf course, movie theater, museum, and ice skating rink; the airport also prides itself on its efficient design.

A bird’s-eye view of the second passenger terminal at Incheon International Airport. Because of its non-corrosive properties and stylish appearance, POSCO’s 446M steel will be used as an exterior material.

When the first passenger terminal was built in 2001, they decided to use POSCO’s 446M stainless steel. The 446M steel contains high amounts of chromium (26%) and molybdenum (2%), which gives it superior corrosion resistance – excellent for use in exterior construction near coastal areas, like Incheon.

Seventeen years after the construction of the first terminal, there have been little signs of corrosion. So, as preparations began for a new second terminal, the airport decided to use the same type of stainless steel. Also, a bead blast process will be applied to the steel that will give it a rough texture to lower the reflectivity rate for aircraft pilots during take-offs and landings.

Despite being located on a small island in the Yellow Sea, the stainless steel used at Incheon Airport has been almost completely unaffected by corrosion. Already in its 17^th year of operation, the stainless steel exterior will ensure that it lasts much longer.

Seeing Deep into the Canyons at Zhangjiajie, China

The majestic Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, located in the western part of Hunan Province, is one of the most beautiful sites in China. Made famous in the Western world when James Cameron used it as inspiration for the landscapes in his film Avatar (2009), it is best seen atop the world’s highest and longest bridge.

Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge view from west side of gorge. (Photo courtesy of HighestBridges)

Sitting 300m over the canyon, the Zhangjiajie glass bridge gives visitors a breathtaking, and terrifying, view of the park. The bridge is supported by 4 support towers and a steel frame with over 120 glass panels set into its walkway. The towers are installed directly into the canyon sandstone and each panel of glass is layered, so that even if one layer cracks, the others will hold.

Those with stomachs of steel can enjoy the bridge while experiencing one of the most beautiful parts of the world. The glass floor may seem fragile, but the steel frame holds it together to create one of the most amazing yet vertigo-inducing views.

If we look around, we will see that steel is everywhere. For something that seems so ordinary, it can also change the way we see buildings, and even change the way we see the world.

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To make a decent film, directors and producers must use the best techniques to procure a sense of authenticity that can convince an audience that what they are watching is realistic.

Set designs, camera and lighting equipment, and other heavy machinery are needed to achieve this effect. Camera equipment makers, set builders and gaffers rely on one particular metal day in and day out for the durability needed in getting the perfect shot – steel.

Hollywood’s Amazing Sets

Acting and directing can only take a film so far, so the rest of the way needs to be paved by the setting and the environment. Often, filmmakers must build their sets to accurately represent the story’s true environment, with some set designs requiring much of the film’s total budget to construct.

The 1995 action movie, Waterworld, led by Kevin Costner, had one of the most famous movie sets ever constructed. The movie’s biggest expense did not come from paying the actors’ high salaries, but from having to build a giant atoll off the coast of Hawaii for the movie’s setting. With a circumference of a quarter mile, the set demanded so much material to build that it created a steel shortage in Hawaii, with the remainder of the steel shipped in from California. The total cost to develop Waterworld’s set skyrocketed into the tens of millions of dollars.

James Cameron’s epic, Titanic, is another prime example of a movie set that was built to mimic reality as closely as possible. A 90% to-scale replica of the actual Titanic was assembled in Rosarito Beach, Mexico, using a steel frame and plywood shell. In addition to the massive Titanic rebuild, the movie also called for 2 enormous tanks that held 20 million gallons of water, and several steel cranes were needed for capturing overhead shots.

Stepping back in time, the 2013 World War II epic, Stalingrad, mesmerized audiences and critics alike with its ultra-realistic settings that perfectly depicted the once war-torn city. Almost a sixth of the movie’s budget, amounting to around five million dollars, was needed to build the buildings, destroy them and to purchase the steel tanks and planes that were scattered across the set.

Moving Cameras and Setting Lights

Maneuverability, for cameras and actors, is crucial for directors needing to capture the perfect shot. Large steel rigs mounted on moving cars, steel camera tacks, similar to train tracks, and other heavy-duty equipment make filming scenes possible.

Stunt rigging, including ratchets, air rams, traveling rigs, camera tracking rigs, descenders and other types of rigging are made from steel to ensure durability while filming and the safety of the actor or stuntman. Stunt rigs are used to drop, crash, fly and pull actors in and out of the lens, creating an exciting action sequence.

Camera dolly systems that look much like train tracks running through sets, are used to run camera operators alongside moving actors, or for capturing a moving shot. Camera tracks provide fluidity and stability to a camera, making for beautiful imagery. Dolly tracks made for larger production cameras depend on steel tracks and straighter paths for heavy use.

Hollywood Depends on Steel

With new technology, computer graphics and camera capabilities, audiences and critics are both demanding and expecting movies to be more elaborate – especially when spending ten dollars on a ticket.

Magnificent set designs and construction, extensive camera reach and the perfect lighting will all continue to rely on steel as cinema’s material-of-choice. Steel allows set designs to create not only movie sets, but environments that capture the imaginations of viewers. It also enables camera operators to mount their cameras on durable rigs and to film scenes smoothly.

The next time you are watching a movie, consider the amount of work and steel it took to entertain you for those engaging 2 hours.

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Submarines therefore must be built using the best and strongest materials possible to be able to endure long, underwater missions, and deep sea exploration.

Any metal used to build a submarine must contain certain properties and attributes to adequately handle being submerged for long periods of time while incurring underwater pressure. The metal used to build a submarine must be dense, shape-forming, malleable, non-corrosive and lightweight.

Steel has the ability to withstand corrosion and avoid oxidizing reactions such as rust. It is also lightweight enough that it can be fast and effective in maneuvering underwater.

A Hull Lot of Steel

Submarines used for military activity have gone through many shape transformations since first being commissioned. Several designs were experimented with before settling on the recognizable hydrodynamic teardrop shape. The outer shell, or hull, of the submarine is commonly constructed of steel alloy.

Submarines can have either a double or single-hull construction, which affects speed or maneuverability depending on which type of hull is used. American submarines are typically made of a single-hulled steel plating layer that creates the optimized shape needed for advanced warfare capabilities.

Inside the outer hull is the pressure hull, which is responsible for allowing the submarines to reach depths of 250-350 meters. The pressure hull, one of the most important components of a submarine, is constructed of thick, high-strength steel that is divided into several compartments.

The pressure hull’s construction is a delicate process requiring high degrees of precision to build. If a hull contains any defects, it could jeopardize the integrity of the entire submarine.

With today’s modern nuclear submarines, the predominant material used in manufacturing is still mainly steel. In order to be able to carry delicate nuclear warheads, the submarine must be made strong and dependable. Steel is used to construct the inner hull that contains the vessel’s crew and inner mechanics, as well as the outer hull. The layer between the inner and outer hull is used as the submarine’s ballast tank system, which lets water in and out, enabling the submarine to rise and dive.

Setting Depth Records with Steel

On March 26, 2012, famed Hollywood director James Cameron and his DEEPSEA CHALLENGE expedition team set a world record with their submarine solo dive to the deepest known place on earth.

DEEPSEA CHALLENGE states that the historic expedition to the Mariana Trench’s lowest point, the Challenger Deep, which lies 6.83 miles (10.99 kilometers) below the ocean surface, was the first extensive scientific exploration in a manned submersible of the deepest spot on earth.

Several different types of materials were used to construct the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER submarine, however, the pilot’s sphere was built from steel.

According to DEEPSEA CHALLENGE, the steel orb was equipped to make sure the pilot gets oxygen, stays warm, and is shielded from the deep-sea pressure.

Engineers made the pilot’s chamber spherical because the shape can be both strong and light. They also made the steel 2.5 inches (6.4 centimeters) thick to withstand the crushing pressure of the deep.

The Ocean’s Steel Whales

As oceanic vessel technology advances, so too will the designs and materials used to build submarines. One aspect that will remain constant however, is the use of steel. Submarines will remain a vital part of national defense and further ocean exploration for many years to come. Designs will continue to improve submarines’ speed and maneuverability, as well as the depths they are capable of reaching.

Modern submarines, however, will continue to be made mostly of steel, proving that the metal is perfect for keeping the ocean’s steel whales swimming into the future.

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