Structural steel is the material that can be used to mould shapes and structures from scratch using molten steel. Structural steel is being used today for a lot of construction projects that require unique pieces of steel to assemble full structural steel buildings which would be made of just steel parts. Many recent bridge constructions, for example, have used structural steel for their architecture. The longevity and durability of structural steel make it a popular choice among engineers. Structural steel pieces such as the I-beams have an excellent stiffness in their cross-sectional area that makes them durable to heavy loads without bending or sagging. Out of all the industries, the paper and pulp industry can benefit from structural steel if it is used in the manufacturing plants. Structural steel can be used to create utilities for the paper plants. Many containment vessels for the pulp and the acidic contents used in paper mills.
How Structural Steel has Supported Pulp and Paper Industry
Although the paper industry has been downtrodden with the sudden upsurge of digital media, the industry still keeps going on because of the human population that still likes to read paperback material. The paper and pulp industry has been flourishing because of factors that are ecological and economical,
- Use of steel alternatives in plants refine the ecological footprint, increases cost efficiency and product yield.
-Better environmental policies and better progress towards sustainability.
-Innovations for the wood pulp and paper plants using structural steel.
Even though the popularity of print media has gone down in the past decade, there are still several plants around the world that are still producing paper from wood pulp. The cheaper and durable solutions that are provided to the pulp industries are made to withstand all the corrosive elements that are used for the production of paper on a large scale. An alternative used by the pulp and paper industry is fibreglass. But the cost of manufacturing the units using fibreglass removes the cost efficiency that can be provided by structural steel components.
Structural Steel Used in Paper Plants
The kind of structural steel used in paper manufacturing plants is different than the steel used in creating structural steel buildings or bridges. It is called duplex stainless steel. There are benefits that duplex stainless steel provides to the paper mills.
Corrosion Resistance- Duplex stainless structural steel has a high capacity for fending off corrosion for a long time. The material does not give up on contact with a corrosive substance, stress cracking and abrasions. So when the acidic chemicals used in the pulp and industry can be made to work with the components made of structural steel without the stress of fast depreciation.
High Strength- Duplex steel has excellent strength. The microstructures and special shapes moulded of this steel have high resistance to pressure and tension. All the wrestling that the pulp factory machinery has to do with the wood chippings and pulp after it, would not have a traumatic effect on the components that made out of structural steel.
Design Flexibility- Stainless steel or duplex steel is generally easier to work with. It is easier to weld and mould. Two welded pieces of duplex steel have almost the same strength as a single piece of steel like a beam or an angle. The parts like small gears or different sizes of roller and crushers can be manufactured out of structural steel. This gives more stability to the machinery in the plant than ordinary fibre structures.
Cost Saving- Although carbon steel can be cheaper when compared to duplex steel, the difference in the resistance from corrosion for both kinds make duplex steel a better choice seeing the long term anti-corrosive feature. So when regular repairs and replacement of the components stop, you get to improvise on your timing and techniques rather than waiting for the repair guy and paying huge amounts for changing a small component.
Structural steel has been used in several complex structures that have just steel pieces supporting the whole building. For the paper industry, structural steel can reduce the cost of replacing worn-out components now and then. Contact Northern Weldarc to get info on structural steel construction.
