Steel and metallic alloys

Our activities on Steel and Metallic Alloys cover the full cycle of development of materials: from the design of such materials, their manufacturing path and heat treatments, passing by their microstructural and mechanical characterisation to the analysis of their in-service behaviour, its mechanical and superficial integrity including the study of their properties against conforming, manufacturing and welding or joining method operations.

Service life, in service behavior, strength, corrosion and wear resistance, high temperature stability, formability properties, etc., are some specific questions that may concern different sectors such as steelmaking, heat treatment, automotive, energy, petrochemical, etc.

We collaborate with both manufacturers and users of metallic materials in the development of processes and materials.

Main lines of work:

-Development and application of new steel products.

• Simulation at pilot plant scale of the seel making process at STEEL BLOCK facilities.
• Metallurgical design of different stages of the steel making process. VIM furnace, rollings, annealing and hot dip coating (HDPS - Hot Dip Process simulator).
• Elaboration of small batches of different steel grades and other metallic alloys.
• Characterization and evaluation of basic and in-use properties of metallic alloys.

-Development of new metallic alloys & coatings

• Design and elaboration of new metallic alloys at pilot plant scale.
• Conventional and centrifugal casting.
• Sand casting, instrumented ingot molds (different capacities and materials)
• Development of mettalic powders for additive manufacturing.
• Development and optimization of galvanized coatings Zn, ZnAl, ZnAlMg, ZnAlMg”X” based and their respective industrial process parameters.

-Solid state phase transformations

• Design and simulation of thermal and thermomechanical treatments.
• High resolution quenching and high temperature strain dilatometry, thermogravimetric analysis, hogh temperature X-ray diffraction.
• Microstructural characterization by means of high resolution scanning electron microscopy.
• Thermodinamic equilibrium simulations.

-Structural mechanics and advanced characterization

• Determination of mechanical properties relevant to the validation and design of components, structures, welded joints and raw materials.
• Mechanical caracterization:  fracture toughness, fatigue, creep, strengh, residual stresses, static and dynamic behaviour, strain maps, etc. ENAC accreditations.
• ECA evaluation (Engineering Critical Assessment) and FFS (Fitness for Service): safety and integrity of components or structure.
• Failure analysis of components in service, structures and welded joints.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

We assist our clients in the context of short-term technical assistance or in multi-year research and development projects.

RESOURCES

To achieve objectives, we combine design and simulation, pilot-scale process trials and advanced materials analysis.

RESEARCH ACTIVITY

Focuses primarily on the development of new steel grades and hot dip galvanized coatings. We also work with other important metals such as aluminum alloys, nickel base alloys, high-temperature materials, cast irons, etc...

Steels and metallic materials images

Steel Square

The Steel square is the technological core in the development of new steels, processes and solutions for manufacturing and processing companies based on steel.

It is a key and unique technological R&D&I infrastructure for industrial sectors of steel transformation that, in an open innovation model, where manufacturer, technology center and processors work together towards a radical improvement of the value chain of the steel through the mastery of the manufacturing processes and the properties in use of the products defined by the final customers, with the aim of carrying out developments and research on the process and products that contribute to the improvement of competitiveness.

It enables research and innovation applied to any link in the value chain of industrial processes based on steel, in a collaborative environment between companies, aimed at offering differentiated products and technology development.

Steel Innovation Cluster

Steel Innovation Cluster is a non-profit Entrepreneurship Association created with the aim of promoting innovation, technology development and applied research in the area of their respective activities related to steel, its production, processing and market delivery, all along its value chain, through the execution of joint projects.

The Steel Innovation Cluster promotes high activity on R&D at a located environment, including important parts of all value chains in several sectors (rail, consumer goods, nuclear, petrochemical, research infrastructures, wind offshore).

Further to the involvement of the steel producer, Steel Innovation Cluster includes a significant of processing companies, technology centre, university and end users to successfully complete the planned technology development, covering the value chain and closing the loop of the processes involved in the development of new steel grades and improvement of existing ones.

Registered in the Special Register of Innovative Business Groups of the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness.

Web: www.polodelacero.com