Sunday, April 30, 2017

Structural Steel - Product Reuse & Recycling

Structural Steel is used in construction with an added advantage over traditional construction methods. This form of construction is gaining ground day by day as the fabrication industry advances. The new technology uses lightweight structural steel to fabricate building parts. These parts are made in units and not at construction. Eventually, they are installed at the construction and fitted at suitable junctures on the building being built.    

Product Re-use

This is one of the greatest advantages of lightweight steel. At the end of its life, it can be reused as a new product in buildings under construction.  In case of re-use, no processing is involved.  The steel structures are reused more in some sectors than others.   

The discouraging factors are lack of standardization and difficulty in assessment of composition and quality after end-life dismantling from its earlier incarnation.   

Design for reuse

Use bolted connections this allows easy dismantling 
Provide easy access to connections 
Keep the steel free from coatings or coverings for proper visual assessment. 
Minimize the use of fixings to structural steel using clamped fittings.
Use long-span beams

Recycling and reuse enable the reduction of adverse impacts on the environment with added cost benefits. Steel is hundred percent recyclable and a high-end recovery rate has to be kept that way.

Scrap recycling is also on the increase as an eco-friendly practice.  During prefabrication raw material waste does occur but this can be easily collected and recycled.   

The two aspects combined are leading the World to more sustainable development.  

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