STEEL Talk presents to you interesting stories of Science, Technology, Energy, Environment, Life — and of course STEEL!

“Amusement park,” the word alone is enough to put a smile on your face. It’s a perfect place to take pictures, eat delicious food, and make pleasant memories with friends and family. The rides in the amusement parks are mostly made of steel. Especially, steel is a must in making thrill rides, such as a Drop Tower, which enables you to experience free-fall from top to bottom in the blink of an eye, and super-fast roller coasters. POSCO Newsroom presents to you the story of steel hidden in the rides of the amusement parks.

l Safety, the No.1 Priority in Thrill Rides!

Just looking at the thrill rides makes you feel all excited! Amusement rides must be safe and strong since people ride on them, but at the same time, they should be made with a material that can work properly according to circumstances and last for a long time. The material that satisfies all of these conditions is none other than “steel.” Let’s dive into the details!

l Roller Coaster: Enjoy the Safety & Fun on the Steel Tube Rail!

Did you know that the origin of the roller coaster is a wooden coal truck? There is a hidden story of how the roller coaster became the steel cart of today from the former wooden carts.

The roller coaster, which is one of the must-visit spots in an amusement park, originates from trains that used to carry coal mines in the Bavarian region of Germany. It was found that when people rode on the wooden minecart — a cart with no top cover used to transport coals — from a high place to a low one, they could relieve their stress. In 1851, the concept of this roller coaster was introduced at the “World’s Fair” held in London, England.

However, the wooden roller coaster introduced at the “World’s Fair” had disadvantages of being deformed and corroded by exposure to ultraviolet rays. Due to this reason, modern roller coasters were born made of steel.

Later on, as the steel industry developed, La Marcus Thompson installed the first modern roller coaster, “Gravity Pleasure Switchback Railway,” in New York, 1884. This first roller coaster in the U.S. was set up in New York’s theme park in Coney Island, and it became so popular that, in the 1920s, about 2,000 roller coasters were installed throughout the U.S.

However, with the Great Depression in 1929, two World Wars, and the emergence of new entertainment industries, such as TV and movies, the popularity of roller coasters began to fade. In the U.S., the number of roller coasters, which was formerly near 2,000, reduced to 172 in 1970. But they soon boomed again, as the modern steel technology made it possible to construct roller coasters with steel tube rails, which led to a huge structure providing faster speed with enhanced stability.

In the third story of STEEL Talk, we learned about why the amount of carbon (C) in steel is important. As carbon contents in steel increase, its hardness — resistance to pressure — increases as well, but it becomes fragile and doesn’t easily stretch. Conversely, the less carbon contents in steel, the more flexible and stretchable it becomes. So, it is necessary to adjust the hardness of the steel product with the amount of carbon depending on its use nor to add other elements accordingly. Thanks to this versatile properties, the types of steel have become more diverse, and its performance is also improving day by day.

Steel is playing a crucial part in designing roller coasters that require appropriate engineering skills. Various high-performance steels, such as construction steel and specialized steel, are used in roller coasters. Watch the worldsteel video above to grasp the details.

Except for certain types of roller coasters where wood is used, there is no substitute for steel in making roller coasters.

l Magnets Behind Drop Tower Seats?

The Lotte World Gyro Drop is probably the most familiar Drop Tower ride in Korea. It is a thrill ride that has been popular in Korea since its first appearance in 1998. There is an interesting scientific principle behind this Gyro Drop ride with regard to the “magnetic properties” of steel.

If you’ve ever been on the Gyro Drop, you might have experienced the tension and anxiety of not knowing when you will drop once you get to the top of the Gyro Drop. However, in a few seconds, you are soon filled with the thrill of dropping suddenly and the relief of reaching the ground! Many people love this ride because of this excitement. The reason why the Gyro Drop can drop down and land at the bottom safely is because of steel’s “magnetic properties.”

If you put metal between the N pole and the S pole of the magnet, an electric current flows instantaneously, and the metal becomes magnetic. As a magnetic field is generated around this metal, the magnetic field of the metal and the magnetic field of the magnet repel each other. The Gyro Drop uses this repulsive force as a brake.

The safety of the people on the ride is paramount, so the brakes on the Gyro Drop must work at all times, even when the amusement park suddenly goes out of power. Especially since the Gyro Drop falls at high speed, brakes that utilize frictional force aren’t appropriate because they might wear out when used for a long time. Then what kind of a brake is safe to use?

There are 12 horseshoe-shaped magnets behind the Gyro Drop’s seats and 12 metal plates on the central tower column. When the seats reach the top (about 70 m from the ground) and drop quickly, the magnet attached to the back meets the metal plates on the central tower column at 25 meters above the ground. An instantaneous current flows through the metal in the tower column, and as it becomes magnetic, a strong repulsive force is generated between them. Due to this repulsive force, the Gyro Drop can be stopped without any external force or physical contact! Isn’t it amazing?

Nothing is more important than safety for the rides in amusement parks. And the material responsible for this safety is none other than “steel.” If it weren’t for steel, there would be no thrill rides or amusement parks. Next time you’re on a ride, remember the hidden story behind it!

STEEL Talk presents to you interesting stories of Science, Technology, Energy, Environment, Life — and of course STEEL!

Magnets attract iron, and because of this, they are utilized in various forms. There are a lot of magnets that we can see in our daily lives as well — like the tiny magnets on souvenir magnets that stick on the fridge door, magnetic snaps that help items close tightly, and so on.

But if iron is in our body, why aren’t we attracted to magnets? Let see the reason in detail.

 l Iron — Essential for Our Bodies Too!

We can not live without oxygen, and it is the red blood cells that deliver this oxygen to cells all over the body. A molecule called hemoglobin in the red blood cells contains iron. Oxygen sticks to the iron here and moves around the body. So we can say iron is essential in our lives not just because of the benefits it provides, but because it carries oxygen around our body, thus making us stay alive.

Now that we know we have iron in our body, the next question might pop up — “Will magnets attract blood because of the iron in it?” Many scientists also had this question and have got the answer. Because if magnets do attract blood, we must be careful of the magnets around us!

Fortunately, the iron in our blood isn’t attracted to magnets. Iron is almost everywhere in our body but in tiny quantities. The amount of iron in an adult’s body put together is 3.5g. The iron contained in blood only is just 2g. This small amount is spread all over the body, so obviously, it isn’t greatly affected by the pull of magnets.

But this explanation isn’t perfect. Because in the case of super magnets, it could attract any magnetic substance no matter how small the amount is. So let’s find out a more accurate reason for this!

l What Keeps Our Body Safe From Magnets?

Hemoglobin molecules that contain iron tend to repel from the magnet when attached to oxygen. In contrast, oxygen-depleted hemoglobin molecules are attracted slightly by magnets.

A Youtube creator arranged an experiment regarding this explanation as well. Take a look at the real experiment! (Korean)

Hemoglobin in our blood is mostly attached to oxygen. Also, blood is composed mostly of ‘water,’ which tends to repel from magnets. So even if you put a strong magnet close to your body, you can see your body moving away rather than sticking to it. Isn’t it amazing?

You’ve probably seen an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) equipment in hospitals or medical dramas. An MRI is a device that lets you see inside the body using powerful magnetic fields. If blood is attracted to the magnet, the person inside the MRI would be in grave danger. However this never happens because the iron-containing blood doesn’t respond very much even to a powerful magnet. Also, blood circulates the body moving swiftly in the blood vessels, so the effect of the magnet is reduced even more! So don’t worry!

Was the answer satisfying? Just like the various steel products made by steelmakers, such as POSCO, make our daily lives more convenient and happier, it is important to remember that iron in our bodies plays an important role too! That’s all for today! See you next time! Bye~!

* This article was written with help from science communicator Jung-Wan Mok, and Youtube creator <Gwa Bboon Ssa>

STEEL Talk presents to you interesting stories of Science, Technology, Energy, Environment, Life — and of course STEEL!

Your dad was right to call Earth, ‘a planet of iron.’ Our planet was born about 4.6 billion years ago. It’s said that small planets — made up of rocks or metal masses — collided and merged to form the Earth. In the beginning, Earth was nothing more than a ball of hot magma, and as it gradually cooled down, iron and nickel that are relatively heavier sank to the bottom of the Earth, while lighter rocks rose to the surface and formed the crust.

Now, this is just a plausible hypothesis since no one saw this entire process. However, these two things are for sure — Iron has been on Earth ever since the beginning, and it has also played a significant role in human civilization. So, let’s look into the details!

l The Role of Iron In Our Civilization

Mankind advanced into the Iron Age from the Stone Age and the Bronze Age. Iron was stronger than bronze and readily available in nature, making it suitable as materials for tools. The iron beads of Egypt — made around 4,000 B.C. — was the first item humans made with iron, and the Iron Age arrived at around 1,000 B.C. Do you know what age we are living in today? Surprisingly, we are still living in the Iron Age. So this Iron Age has lasted more than 3000 years!

Before the Iron Age, humans dug into the ground to make houses, or crushed and cut out stones to build dolmens or pyramids. But as civilization evolved into the Iron Age, humans started making buildings using iron since iron was strong enough to make living space much safer and more stable. Before iron came along, most materials used in buildings were stones, bricks, and wood. So there was a high risk of tall buildings to collapse — since these materials were quite heavy, the weight was tremendous. But as iron emerged as the main material of architecture, constructing tall buildings became possible. The sturdy steel columns could support the weight of those buildings.

▲ The tallest skyscraper in Korea, Lotte World Tower! POSCO’s steel were used here!

Have you been to the Lotte World Tower(555m) in Seoul? It is the tallest building in Korea and the fifth tallest in the world. To build skyscrapers you need super strong and tough iron. That’s why POSCO’s own latest high-performance heat-processed ‘High Strength Steel’ was used in the construction of the Lotte World Tower. Thanks to the strong, durable steel, it was possible to create such a wonderful, tall architecture. As you can see here, iron and steel make the city safe and attractive with its role in the construction. We can also encounter steel in so many areas of our daily lives — like the buses and cars we ride, and the frying pans and cutlery of the kitchen.

l Iron — In Charge Of Life On Earth !

Can you guess the element with the largest mass on our planet? It’s ‘Iron(Fe).’ It accounts for 35% of Earth’s weight. But if you take a look around, it’s hard to understand this statement — there just isn’t that much iron around. Then, where is all that amount of iron? Well, it’s all hidden under the ground. As mentioned earlier, iron is a heavy material, so all of them sank to the Earth’s core.

The iron in the core has a significant role. It creates Earth’s magnetic field. Telling the North and South poles on a compass to find directions is possible because of this. A magnetic field is generated by conductive and magnetic materials, such as iron or nickel. The iron — in a liquid state at the core of the earth — creates the magnetic field as the earth rotates.

We can use a compass and also see the beautiful aurora at the poles, all thanks to Earth’s magnetic field. Not only that, but it also protects the Earth from the strong energy — the solar wind — of the sun. Without iron and its magnetic field, the Earth would have been a life-less planet, like Venus. So we are all alive here on Earth, thanks to iron!

Now you know why Earth can be called ‘a planet of iron!’ POSCO Newsroom will be back with a new and exciting story soon! Bye-bye ~! (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑

* This article was written with help from researcher Eung-soo Choi of POSCO Technical Research Laboratories

STEEL Talk presents to you interesting stories of Science, Technology, Energy, Environment, Life — and of course STEEL!

Steel is used in the construction of large and heavy structures, giving POSCO this kind of impression. Other than the child who sent this question, perhaps a lot of people think this way too since POSCO Newsroom has been getting many questions regarding large steel used in buildings and cars.

Let’s see where steel is used. From high bars at playgrounds to skyscrapers, running cars and trains, steel bridges, and ships, most of them are considered heavy and square, giving them a chilly look. So it is a common belief that steel goes by this impression too. But actually, this doesn’t go to all of them. Steel can be large and heavy, but at the same time small and light!

l Overcoming Gravity And Into Space!

Did you know that steel can be used to make a spacecraft? You might think that this is obvious because spacecraft are large and heavy too! But if steel was just a heavy material, could it be used in building spaceships that have to go up high in the sky?

The material for a spaceship’s body must be as light as possible because the heavier the aircraft becomes, the more fuel it will consume, and the slower it would fly — due to gravity. However, light materials like plastic can’t be used as well since they aren’t durable. So special alloy materials such as duralumin are mainly used in making spaceships.

▲ If you want to see the stainless steel spacecraft from rocket maker SpaceX, click here!

January 2019, Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, announced that he would build ‘Starship’ out of stainless steel. Elon Musk is the founder of SpaceX, a rocket & spacecraft manufacturer. SpaceX is working on the development of a starship that can transport people from Earth to space — specifically to Mars.

Originally, the starship was to be made of carbon fiber, which is both light and durable. However, the material was changed to stainless steel since it was cheaper — one-hundredth the cost of carbon fiber — and could better withstand high temperatures with a melting point of 1,538 ℃. The starship will be 50 meters long and nine meters in diameter. Steel isn’t just for structures on the ground, but suitable for space adventures as well. Isn’t it amazing?

l In Your Pockets Today

You might have read about it in the papers, but there is steel in our smartphones as well. The silver rim of the Apple iPhone X is POSCO’s stainless steel.

▲ The shiny silver rim of iPhone X! It’s made of POSCO’s stainless steel!

The POSCO product used here is ‘non-magnetic, ultra-clean stainless steel.’ It has quite a long name, but you can easily get the idea of the product from it. The steel used for phones should be non-magnetic since it shouldn’t interfere with the phone connection. Additionally, the surface of the product must be ultra-clean — without scratches, bubbles, or deformations. That’s why ‘non-magnetic, ultra-clean stainless steel’ is the perfect material for smartphones!

Steel that fits a smartphone — the size of a palm and weighing only 174g — is the same stainless steel used for spaceships. But much thinner and lighter. The sleek and ‘edgy’ design that the steel rim provides is an additional feature. It shows a glimpse of what steel can do!

The answer to the question of whether POSCO makes only large and heavy steel is ‘Half correct and half wrong.’ Like mentioned above, steel could be used on a giant spaceship, and also on a hand-sized cell phone. Whether it’s steel used for aircraft or steel used for mobile phones, they all start with the same molten iron, but the applied technology is diverse — From needle to aerospace. Don’t you think this is the real strength of steel and POSCO? ⌯’▾’⌯

STEEL Talk presents to you interesting stories of Science, Technology, Energy, Environment, Life — and of course STEEL!

Another interesting question today! This child wants to know what is the thinnest and thickest steel in the world. Let’s take a closer look at the thinnest and thickest steel POSCO can make and their uses.

Put simply, POSCO can make steel that is thinner than toilet paper, and also steel thicker than a Big Mac hamburger. Now, let’s look into the details.

Well, a three-layered toilet paper that you see in the restrooms is about 0.35mm thick. This could probably be the thinnest item you might see around you. And as you know, since this toilet paper is so thin, it tears easily. Surprisingly, there’s steel as thin as tissue, yet strong and stretchable.

This steel is 0.2mm thick — thinner than toilet paper — but it doesn’t break like plastic or glass, and is called Cold Rolled Steel. This Cold Rolled Steel is made by rolling cold steel into a flat and thin form and then reheating it. In the end, it becomes a premium material with a shiny surface. The steel that we easily see in car interior parts or the kitchen is this Cold Rolled Steel.

Now, let’s learn about the thickest steel! At POSCO, thick plates of steel are called Steel Plates. These Steel Plates are also easily seen around us, used in the construction of large ships, various buildings, and bridges over rivers and seas. Then how thick is the thickest POSCO Steel Plate?

The answer is 200mm. It’s about the same size as one hand span of an adult. These thick plates are used mainly in factories that produce energy — like oil, natural gas, and electricity — necessary in our daily lives. Some of these factories include offshore oil & gas platforms in distant seas and power plants that produce electricity on land.

▲ An offshore structure in the middle of the ocean (Image source: Maersk Drilling)

Since offshore structures are located in the middle of the ocean, it has to stand firm against the fierce waves. It would be a huge problem if something so big collapses. That’s why thick Steel Plates are used at the base of the structure.

What about the power plants that generate electricity? If you look at the picture below, you can see tower-like structures that resemble a chimney. The thick Steel Plates are used here, and they enable the structure to withstand high temperature and high-pressure steam.

▲ Steel Plates are necessary in power plants to withstand high temperature and high-pressure steam! (Image source: SIEMENS)

Let’s go into the details. A power plant burns coal to boil water in the boiler. When the water boils, it creates water vapor(steam). This water vapor(steam) is then applied to run a generator and produce electricity used in our everyday lives. So to generate electricity safely, thick Steel Plates are necessary.

Today, we’ve seen the thinnest and thickest steel. These steel are everywhere, from our sparkling kitchens to offshore structures in the middle of the ocean! Do you have any other questions? Please feel free to ask POSCO Newsroom. ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ

* This article was written with help from researcher Seung-Ho Yu of POSCO Technical Research Laboratories

STEEL Talk presents to you interesting stories of Science, Technology, Energy, Environment, Life — and of course STEEL!

Such a cute question! A little child sent us this note after visiting Pohang Works the other day. So we’ve opened up a new corner, [STEEL Talk] to tackle some questions like this, one by one. So, let’s get started!

Put simply, the answer is “Yes!” This unbelievably strong material is POSCO’s GIGA STEEL. First, let’s take a look at the image below and see how GIGA STEEL got its name and how strong it is.

Have you ever heard of the word “Giga”?

We use the word ‘Gigabyte’ when mentioning the capacity unit of a mobile phone or a computer. When you multiply 1,000 and Kilo — which means 1,000 — you get Mega. If you multiply that Mega by another 1,000, you get Giga. So you have to multiply 1,000 twice to get a Giga. That’s how big ‘Giga’ is.

Since GIGA STEEL has ‘Giga’ in its name, you can guess how strong this steel really is. Then how is it made? This has to do with the “rolling process”. When molten iron begins to solidify, many crystals appear and the shape of these crystals decides the property of the iron. So, if force is exerted on the iron and its crystal becomes even, the iron gets stronger. That is why the steelworks use big rollers to flatten out the iron evenly. This is called the rolling process.

GIGA STEEL also goes through this process. After adding a secret alloy to the molten iron from the furnace, and repeating the heating and rolling process, this super-strong steel is produced. Further details — what elements are added, how many times the heating and rolling is repeated — are POSCO’s secret, but you can get the idea, right?

We use the term ‘tensile strength‘ to describe the strongness of steel. Tensile strength is the amount of force steel can withstand when it is pulled on both sides. GIGA STEEL has a maximum tensile strength of 1,000 Mega Pa. Meaning, GIGA STEEL is an ultra high strength steel of more than 1 Giga Pa. (1,000 Mega Pa = 1 Giga Pa, Pa stands for Pascal, a unit for measuring pressure)

This means GIGA STEEL can withstand more than 100 kg per 1㎟ area. The surface area of a 10 won coin is 254.34㎟, so a 10-won coin can hold 25 tons!

Then how heavy is 25 tons? One ton is 1,000kg so 25 tons is 25,000 kg. And 25 tons equal to 710 children — each weighing 35 kg. A 10 won coin-sized GIGA STEEL can support children of a whole school! Isn’t it amazing?

This super-strong GIGA STEEL serves in a variety of uses in automobiles. Actually, your car might be using GIGA STEEL too!

In recent years, Vietnam has undergone rapid urbanization with subsequent advancements in housing, energy and infrastructure. As such, demand for structural steel is expected to reach 24 million tons by 2020. The figures represent 80 percent of Vietnam’s entire steel demand, making Vietnam a booming market for steel consumption in Southeast Asia.

As the Vietnamese construction industry is projected to see an annual growth rate of 7 percent for the next 10 years, POSCO plans to pursue preemptive solution marketing activities with local affiliates such as POSCO SS VINA and POSCO-VST.

POSCO SS VINA will supply Vietnam’s growing structural steel demand.

They also look to cooperate with local organizations to maximize benefits for their clients, by providing support for a wide range of technologies related to molding, binding, improved performance and structuralization.

Additionally, POSCO intends to promote packaged marketing services for large-scale projects to offer various products such as R.H. (ROLLED H-BEAM), BH (Built up H-Beam) and steel bars in one batch.

POSCO is organizing 3 separate departments – the Solution Planning Department, Solution Development Department and Technical Services Department – to successfully create, develop and implement a local, customized marketing strategy. A total of 25 experienced construction experts will serve as consultants.

In January, POSCO also established a “Solutions Marketing Center” under its base corporation in Vietnam and China to provide support for its increased production and sales worldwide.

In order to bridge this gap, POSCO Group University and POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) will set out to build an AI ecosystem by nurturing AI specialists and conducting joint research. On February 28, POSCO Group University and POSTECH Information Research Laboratories (PIRL) signed an agreement to work on building a training program for in-house AI specialists in POSCO Group and to promote overall collaboration. Young-joo Seo, the head of PIRL, said, “We will invite the best in AI to train researchers at corporations and produce AI specialists within a short period of time. This will hopefully strengthen the competitiveness of companies and of this country.”

Sun-hee Yoo, director of POSCO Group University Global Leadership Center (left), and Young-joo Seo, head of PIRL, signed an agreement on February 28 to create training programs for AI specialists in POSCO Group.

PIRL was founded in 1991 to conduct research on cutting-edge information and communications technology (ICT). It opened an office in Pangyo last October to conduct research and begin the commercialization of AI and big data; it has also successfully supported startups in related fields.

POSTECH has been a leader in research by showcasing its strengths in AI and big data. It is expected to lead innovation in Korea’s industrial circles by developing AI-based technologies, conducting research, nurturing AI specialists, and making full use of and applying other related technologies in the field. Aside from POSCO Group, POSTECH has also worked with other companies to train specialists and conduct joint research. It plans to create and provide customized training programs for each corporation.

With this agreement, POSCO Group University will be in charge of launching related training programs and beginner courses for POSCO Group and its affiliates, while PIRL will be in charge of developing content for basic and advanced courses to increase people’s understanding of AI, big data, programming, pattern recognition, machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision. It is the first time that a university in Korea is providing a program to train AI specialists, especially for corporations, and will serve as a significant milestone in expanding cooperation between companies and academic institutions, a fitting move in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Currently, 59 people have completed the beginner course with the POSCO AI program. For the basic and advanced course, 15 employees from POSCO and 10 employees from POSCO affiliates will be selected to participate. If participants successfully pass the four-month group training, task performance course, and six-month advanced course, they will be selected as AI specialists and experience a chance to work in the field.

In order to better equip POSCO Group employees to respond to changes at the group level and increase their awareness on AI, POSCO Group University will add a three-session beginner course. In addition, an AI training course will be available for POSCO executives during the first half of this year.

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