The Tallest Skyscrapers Made of STEEL

skyscrapers clouds — Skycrapers above clouds – source: missions haringknowledge.com

The term skyscraper was originally used to describe buildings of 10 to 20 stories,

The increase in urban commerce in the United States in the second half of the 19th century augmented the need for city business. So the story of skyscrapers began in second part of the 19th century when steel became one of the cornerstones of the world’s industrial economy. Steel became available in large quantities and at low price and was quickly the material of choice for building construction. but by the late 20th century the word skycraper was used to describe high-rise buildings of unusual height, generally greater than 40 or 50 stories.

Thanks to Steel framing and steel reinforced concrete made curtain-wall architecture possible and the use of the material made the evolution of skyscrapers possible by allowing them to reach new heights.

in 1895 The 10-storey (42 m high)Home Insurance Building was built in Chicago and was considered the first tall building to be supported by a steel skeleton of vertical columns and horizontal beams.
As skyscrapers grew taller, architects and engineers were faced with a new enemy: wind. They had to experiment with new styles and building methods in order to build taller and more innovative structures.

The following buildings are today’s 3 tallest buildings in the world and have all been possible thanks to the amazing properties of steel and the hard work of engineers and architects that brought many innovations in the metal field.

Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE (829.8 m – 163 foors)

Burj Khalifa is the tallest man-made structure in the world it uses a bundled tube design (which is a system that uses a number of interconnected tube frames) and a composite of steel and concrete to hit its record height. Approximately 39,000 tonnes of steel bar were needed for the construction and 15.500 m² of embossed stainless steel for cladding. Proportionally, the design uses half the amount of steel used in the construction of the Empire State Building thanks to the tubular system.

Tokyo Skytree (634m – 29 floors)

tokyo skytree tower - source: wikipedia.org — tokyo skytree tower – source: wikipedia.org

The tower is the primary television and radio broadcast site for the Kantō region.
The structural steel columns of the tower are diagonally jointed at different angles, and their shapes differ from one another. Under these stringent conditions, engineers were required to solve the kind of problems that they have never experienced in past projects

Shanghai Tower, Shanghai (632m – 128 floors)

Shanghai Pudong Panorama - source: wikipedia.org — Shanghai Pudong Panorama – source: wikipedia.org

The Shanghai Tower is the tallest building in China and the second-tallest in the world, surpassed only by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. high strength steel, ultra-thick plates of over 100mm in thickness and other high-end construction steels have been used for the construction of the tower. In addition to that The design of the tower’s glass facade, which completes a 120° twist as it rises, is intended to reduce wind loads on the building by 24%. This reduced the amount of construction materials needed; the Shanghai Tower used 25% less structural steel than a conventional design of a similar height saving approximately US$58 million in material costs.

source : http://www.worldsteel.org, wikipedia.org

Steel is an amazing material that is both economic and sustainable. That’s why Shanghai Metal Corporation manufactures and distributes a large range of Steel products of high quality all over the world.
For more information, you can visit the company’s website or contact us for any inquiry.

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Houria // SMC Editor

Solar-Powered Water Wheel in Baltimore cleans 50,000 Pounds of Trash per Day

Inner-Harbor-Water-Wheel_Crop-640x360 — source: http://www.nbcnews.com

If you go to Baltimore this summer,you might see a strange looking machine strolling slowly in the Harbor. This machine is called the Inner Harbor Water Wheel and its main task is to clean up the trash that gets thrown into the water.Powered by 30 solar panels and the water current, the wheel is able to remove approximately 50,000 pounds of trash per day. It’s estimated that the wheel will stay in use for at least 15 years and by 2020 the harbor will become clean enough to be used for recreational purposes.

images — Baltimore solar powered wheel – source: healthyharborbaltimore.org

The wheel was invented by John Kellett and it works as follow: two orange booms help funnel debris towards the Wheel, where trash is intercepted and pushed it onto a moving conveyer belt which empties out into a 16 yard dumpster, located on top of a floating dock. Once the dumpster is full, the dock is detached, hooked up to a boat, and then taken to a RESCO waste-to-energy plant, where the trash is incinerated and turned into electrical energy. The incredible machine has also a secondary use which is to put more oxygen into the water through the rotation of the waterwheel. It helps to attract more fish and improve habitat conditions and water quality. . As a project of the Healthy Harbor Living Laboratory, the Water Wheel also serves to educate people about storm-water management and the Inner Harbor.

20140508-102116 — source: blog.savatree.com

The important element about the wheel is the material used. In fact Galvanizing was chosen as a coating because of its sustainability and its reaction to a constant contact with water. Galvanized steel has a very high resistance to humidity but also doeasn’t require costly maintenance over the next 15 years. Another factor was keeping down maintenance costs to a project that already cost over $800,000 to put together.

source: inhabitat.com, galvanizeit.org

Shanghai Metal Corporation understand the importance of a green environment and is a manufacturer of Galvanized steel and many other products used for sustainable projects all over the world. For more information, you can visit the company’s website or contact us for any inquiry.

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Houria // SMC Editor

Distribution Poles: From Wood to Hot Dip Galvanized Steel

With the increasing demand of eco-friendly ans sustainable products from both the public and private sector, the main sector to improve is the energy sector itself.
Distribution pole are the main vectors of electricity and have become over the century a common view of our roads and fields.

Steel poles are becoming increasingly popular among utility companies for building distribution lines or for replacing the traditional wood poles. Many reasons push these companies to use steel ans invest in the new distribution poles. In this article we will try to summarize the benefit of hot dip galvanized steel mainly reported from linemen who have worked with both wood and steel

distribution-pole-blue-sky-asset — distribution pole – source: wikipedia.org

Wood pole VS Steel pole

Lighter:

For similar strengh, a steel pole is 30 to 60% lighter than a wood pole. This makes them easier to lift, load, install and handle in general.

Cheaper: Thanks to continuous improvement of quality and manufacturing process of steel poles the cost of steel poles come down to a point where they became competitive with wood.

Flexible:

Unlike wood poles which can only have a certain maximum size determined by the size of the tree taken from, the size of wood poles can be determined freely according to the need. Steel poles can be made to handle virtually any load and in any length and can also be made as single piece poles or in sections if that would help handling them in the field.

More Sustainable:

Galvanized steel poles were a response deforestation issues steel is one of the most recyclable materials around so there is never any environmental concern over disposing steel. an old pole will be recycled to make a multitude of other products. Also , the protective system that is required to cover steel poles is made of zinc which is also an environmentally friendly material and virtually 100 percent recyclable. In addition. The coating systems have been improved so much over the years that it has reduced the maintenance needed and improved their life expectancy of the poles.

Safer:

The steel structures do not require a full-length copper grounding wire. They are already self conducting for grounding purposes. As a result, no installation of a ground wire is required.

pole 4 — lineman on distribution pole source: wikipedia.org

source: steel.org, smdisteel.org

Shanghai Metal Corporation manufactures hot dip galvanized steel products because it believes in its potential and encourages its use for a more sustainable industry and a clean environment.
For more information, you can visit the company’s website or contact us for any inquiry.

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Houria // SMC Editor

Aluminum, Metal of choice for sustainable cans

the Aluminum Association and Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) new report states that aluminum cans are the most recycled beverage containers in the market, they have the highest recycling rate. A can usually contains 70% of recycled content, which is 3 times more than plastic or glass containers all this while being around 300 percent more valuable than other materials. A can is generally turned into a new can and back on store shelves within 60 days.
In addition aluminum cans have become lighter by 38 percent since 1972 in the United States, with a weight of 12.99 grams approximately. Aluminum cans are more than 15 times lighter than standard 12 oz. glass bottles, which makes it easier to transport bigger quantities of beverage and optimizing their transportation costs.

An Aluminum can goes through several steps during its life span from one recycling process to a new one

Stage 1 : Can Shredding

In this step cans are shredded into pieces the size of a walnut. The shreds are then passed through a double magnetic drum separator to remove any steel that may have been mixed into the bale.

Stage 2 : De-coating

Any paint or other chemical coating on the aluminum is removed by blowing hot air (around 550°C) through the shreds on a slowly moving insulated conveyor. The exhaust gases from this process are first passed through an afterburner and then used to heat incoming process air via a heat exchanger, minimizing the energy requirements of the system

Stage 3 : Melting

After the de-coated process, the aluminum shreds are put into a melting furnace containing submerged stirrers that create a vortex in the pool of molten aluminum and drag the shreds quickly down into the melt.

Stage 4 : Aluminum Casting

The molten metal is transferred into a furnace to remove impurities and start the casting process then Ingots are cast from the remaining pure metal.

Once in the mold, cool water is sprayed around and through the base of the mold. The aluminum ingot ten solidifies for the next three hours. The finished 18-ton ingots, each containing approximately 1.5 million used cans, are shipped to a mill for rolling into the sheet from which aluminum can makers subsequently produce new cans and the whole process begins again.

source: www.aluminum.org and homeguides.sfgate.com

Shanghai Metal Corporation offers a wide range of aluminum products and is conscious about ecology and sustainable business . You can visit the company’s website or contact us for any inquiry.

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Houria // SMC Editor

China, Second Biggest Producer of Copper In The World (List of Top 10 producers)

copper bloomberg — copper tubes source: bloomberg.com

Most copper is mined/extracted as copper sulfides from large open pit mines in porphyry copper deposits that contain between 0.4 to 1.0% of copper. This is the case in some mines in Chile and the United states .

According to the British Geological Survey The amount of copper in use is increasing and the quantity available is barely sufficient to allow all countries to reach developed world levels of usage.
It was reported by the US Geological Survey (USGS), the global production of metal increased by 400 million tons between 2013 and 2014 reaching 18.700 million tons, although the demand for copper decreased compared to the previous year.

1. Chile (Mine Production: 5.800 million tons)

Chile’s copper production has been increasing for the last decade although technical and regulatory issues could slow down the trend. between 2013 and 2014 the production increased from 5.780 to 5,800 tons.

2. China (Mine production : 1.620 million tons)

china's copper mine production 2006-2014 — china’s copper mine production 2006-2014 Source: statista.com

China is the largest refined copper producer, but it lacks copper mineral deposits. It has to import unprocessed copper ores and copper scrap.
China increased its copper production in 2014, putting out 1,620 million tons of the metal compared to 1,600 million tons in 2013. Reuters reports that notes that the country’s production increased during the second half of the year, due to the re-lauching of a 100,000-tonne-a-year smelter Liaoning province (North east of China) after 5 years of inactivity.

3. Peru (Mine production: 1,300,000 tons)

between 2012 and 2013 peru’s prodcution didn’t change much. In 2013 the country produced 1.300.000 tons. But it is expected that the mine production could rise by as much as 10 percent in 2014, and Peru’s energy and mines minister, Jorge Merino, has projected a 17-percent increase in copper production alone thanks to several new projects and also the the expected increase of foreign investments in the mining industry.

Copper factory – Source: cnbc.com

4. United States (Mine production: 1,220,000 tons)

5. Australia (Mine production: 990,000 tons)

6. Russia (Mine production: 930,000 tons)

7. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (Mine production: 900,000 tons )

8. Zambia (Mine production: 830,000 tons)

9. Canada (Mine production: 630,000 tons)

10. Mexico (Mine production: 480,000 tons)

Being at the heart of the booming copper industry, Shanghai Metal Corporation offers a wide range of copper products . You can visit the company’s website , contact us and follow us on twitter and facebook for more information and news on metal.

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Houria // SMC Editor

China to end export tax on rare earths and other metals

On April 23, 2015, China decided to eliminate tariffs on rare earths and other such as tungsten, molybdenum and fluorspar starting from May 1 according to the Chinese Ministry of Finance. This might be the end an international trade dispute caused by this controversial policy.

sands cones - minerals of mining industry — sands cones – minerals of mining industry

China is the biggest producer and consumer of rare earths and responsible for approximately 93% of the world’s rare earth output, but in 2009 the country imposed export restrictions in an attempt to develop its own industry. As a reminder, rare earths are crucial elements for the manufacturing of a wide range of high tech devices, mobile and smart phones, products in the automotive industry etc.

After the implementation of the export tax ,an abrupt reduction in export quotas in 2010 left traders short and froze a high demand on the global market.

As a response to the abolishment of the tax , Bejing will put in place reforms to keep a certain control on its market: today’s chinese rare earth export tax rates currently range from 15 to 25%: 15% for light rare earth elements and 25% for heavy rare earth elements but Bejing will implement a rare earth resource tax on domestic rare earth products.

rare earth minerals found in China- bloomberg.com

The abolition of this restriction could push up the demand of rare earth demand on the global market and has already pushed a number of market speculation.

Forecasting the boom of demand and export of rare earth products , Shanghai Metal Corporation offers a wide range of rare earth metal products . You can visit the company’s website , contact us and follow us on twitter and facebook for more information and news on metal

source: bloomberg.com and www.mining.com

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Houria // SMC Editor

The attraction for copper nowadays

Du cuivre — Photopqr – Le Parisien – Daboval Adeline

It’s a good and an unfortunate assessment at the same time that we are able to do each year.

In fact, the attraction for copper have increased the business of this type of metal for manufacturers but unluckily for our customers, the steal of copper is a real problem in Europe, until the point that it became a scourge for European countries.

Italy is one of the most important victims of these thefts in Europe. According to the newspaper Le Figaro, between 2010 and 2011 the number of thefts has known an increase of 300%, from 408 to 1226 cases. These thefts represent almost 631 tons of copper which have been stealed during this period. And the numbers are not decreasing. In Belgium the observation is even worst, from 290 cases of thefts in 2009, the Infrabel Group reported 1 362 cases in 2012. The value of the copper robbed was approximately of 8 millions of Euros which is significant for the Infrabel Group according to the Fedra newspaper.

In the United Kingdom, France and other European countries, the observations are the same. In the UK, the police have made of this problem their second preoccupation after terrorism, which is quite representative of the scope of the thefts.

The railways are not the only targets of the organized gangs. Electrical communications, communication networks, construction sites or private houses, are also concerned about this problem. The fact of stealing is not the only problem for these companies, there is many consequences for the companies’ victims of the piracies.

These thefts are creating delays for the companies, and for the railways companies, the cost is huge. In the United Kingdom, the thefts and delays of the trains have created 770 million pounds or 900 million Euros in 2011 of loss. In Belgium these thefts have resulted of 66 440 minutes of delay for the SNBC Group.

The cause of the increase in the attraction for copper is that the copper is becoming rare and as a consequence the price is sharply rising. In 2011, the price of a tone of copper represented 8 000 Euros, five times more than ten years before. Sold in the black market the copper means a lot of money for the organized gangs.

The copper is not the only metal attracting these groups, zinc, steel and nickel are also famous metals experiencing a resurgence of thefts.

Shanghai Metal Corporation, as a manufacturer, exporter and supplier of different types of metals as copper, steel, aluminum, etc, provides you, considering the actual issues encountered by many companies, products with competitive prices and a high quality incomparable to the harmful effect surrounding the label “Made in China”.

For more information about our products, feel free to visit our website to discover a large range of products that could probably match with your needs. And do not hesitate to contact us for specifications.

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Damien / SMC Editor

From “Traditional Manufacturing” into “Smart Manufacturing”

It is expected that China will become the world’s largest manufacturer by 2025. Over the past decade, China’s manufacturing sector has made large contributions to the country’s and also the world’s economy.

China has become a big manufacturing country but has not yet been a powerful one. The main problems in Chinese manufacturing are:

Weak independent innovation ability
High dependence on foreign countries in core technologies
Low resource use efficiency

Premier Li Keqiang announced on March 25 China’s plan to focus on these three issues and to upgrade its manufacturing capacity for the next decades, leading China into a more competitive international manufacturer. This program, “Made in China 2025”, aims for a greener and more intelligent manufacturing with the use of the internet, improving innovation ability, integrate informatization, industrialization and bring the economy towards a higher sustainable growth.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. Photo from ejinsight

Ten sectors have been identified as priorities:

New information technology
High-end numerically-controlled machine tools and robotics
Aerospace equipment
Ocean engineering equipment and ships with high technology
Advanced railway traffic equipment
Energy saving and new energy vehicles
Power equipment
New materials
Biological medicine and high-performance medical devices
Agricultural production machinery

Shanghai Metal Corporation serves the world’s businesses as an integrated global manufacturer, exporter, and supplier. We stand firm to our philosophy in bringing value across the globe and we always dedicate our effort to provide quality products and reliable services. Our commitment pushes us to continuously put efforts in innovation and improve our manufacturing capacity. Shanghai Metal Corporation, alongside with China, will continuously work hard in the future to become a better manufacturer and bring value across the world. We hope to change the world’s perception of Chinese goods from simply “made in China” to “innovated in China”.

Sources: English.gov.cn, ChinaDaily, BritishChamber.cn
Featured image: tiny.pr, smartmanufacturing

Ayu P.//SMC Editor

SMC at the 2015 Intermodal Asia Exhibition

On Tuesday 24 SMC Shanghai Metal Corporation attended the second Intermodal Asia Exhibition 2015 held in Shanghai. Wondering what the exhibition is about? Launched in Europe, the Intermodal Asia Exhibition is a new platform for Asia shipping and container industry. It is a great chance for professionals and companies to come together and exchange ideas and industries about the shipping and container market. As Mr Mai Bo Liang, Chairman of the CCIA and President of CIMC, stated, “it is the perfect opportunity for professionals fro throughout the world to come together to network, do business and encourage the healthy and sustainable development of modern intermodal transport.”

Within a globalized world, where interactions and business between countries is growing exponentially, the three-day exhibition was the event that SMC Shanghai Metal Corporation could not miss. As you may know, China is rapidly growing in the market becoming the leading country in the business of containers and shipping. This is also do to the great emphasis that the government is giving to this market. New projects, such as “The New Silk Road Economic Region” and “21 Century Maritime Silk Road” will make China becoming the core of world commerce.

Untitled design (8) — SMC Sales Assistant checking the conferences program

Not only the 2015 Intermodal Asia Exhibition was for suppliers the chance to promote their products and activities, but also a chance to know more about this evolving market. Three conference theaters (The Strategy Theater, The Innovation Theater and the brand new Technology Theater) offered the visitors the opportunity to attend numerous presentations and debates gave by industry leaders such as European Shippers’ Council Acting Secretary General Joost Sitskoorn who discussed about the “Wider Economic Perspective and Intermodal Market Update in the Spotlight.”

Untitled design (6) — Conference at the Strategy Theater

Untitled design (10) — SMC International Interns

Untitled design (13) — SMC International Interns

Untitled design — SMC International Interns

Untitled design (2) — SMC Containers Department Manager and Sales Assistant

Remember! Shanghai Metal Corporation provides you with a great selection of containers. Visit our website and do not hesitate to contact us.

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Stefano// SMC Editor

The Tree of Life – Milan 2015 Expo Steel Symbol

We have already discussed about the upcoming 2015 Expo taking place in Milan, Italy, in less than two months. As you know is a very important event, not just for the European peninsula, but also for all the participant countries willing to promote their products. This year’s theme is “Feeding the Planet. Energy for Life”. It will be very difficult for Italy to beat the success of the Chinese 2010 Expo edition, although the theme seems very interesting. If you visited Shanghai during the Universal Exposition or after 2010, you have probably visited the Chinese pavilion. Indeed, this great piece of architectural art has been the main symbol of the Shanghainese exhibition and it has rapidly became one of the main tourist attractions of the city.

34934932 — from http://www.panoramio.com

The Chinese pavillion is a 63 meters high structure inspired by the most important element of the building tradition of China: the dougong system dating back over 2000 years. It consists of wooden beams embedded in overlapping layers on a base of columns. (from IlGiornaledell’Architettura)

But what about Milan? What will be the symbol of the next Expo made in Italy? The Tree of Life. It came to light in early March, erected in the center of the Expo Lake Arena. According to L’Eco di Bergamo, the project of the tree was inspired both by the mosaic of the Otranto Cathedral and the floor of Piazza del Campidoglio designed by Michelangelo, of which is a 3D version. Its creator, Marco Balich, explained that the tree is a symbol common to “all cultures, from the Bible to Avatar”.

lake arena tree of life — from http://www.madeinuvet.com

The tree has a steel structure made of 150 tons of metal, around which a wooden part was built (90 tons of wood), which will then be adorned with several plants and lights. This 35 meters high installation of steel and wood (and 45 meters of diameter) will be the highest structure of the 2015 Expo. Moreover, the tree will host one show per hour admired by 3000 people each time sitting on the arena built around the Expo lake.

In sum, the symbol of the upcoming Milan Expo 2015 is made of steel. A futuristic steel tree!

Do not forget that Shanghai Metal Corporation provides you with a great selection of steel products such as high carbon steel strips, steel wires and steel ropes, copper clad steel strips. Visit our website and do not hesitate to contact us.

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Stefano// SMC Editor