Salzgitter Mannesmann Forschung GmbH (Duisburg, Germany):

Ritterbach B., Dr., General Manager, phone: +49-203-999-3165

The megatrends of mobility, energy and raw materials are particularly relevant for the steel industry. These trends have a direct impact on the use of steel in the future. Steel offers innovative solutions in this field, especially in promoting energy efficiency and conserving resources, and therefore for “green” technologies. Steel enables affordable lightweight automotive construction and is essential for building wind power stations, for instance. On the one hand, the trend is moving in the direction of numerical computer-aided simulation, as a supplement to experimental research rather than as a substitute, a process that is taking place with increasingly high resolution methods and high-performance simulation software based on materials and thermodynamic databases or even quantum mechanical ab-initio calculations. On the other hand, full-scale experiments on construction components in real dimensions are increasingly being conducted, which necessitates suitable pilot facilities. In addition, the life cycle assessment of products, including all upstream supply chains, plays an increasingly important role due to statutory requirements. In comparison with other construction materials, such as aluminum, magnesium or fiber-reinforced plastics, steel has an extremely good life cycle assessment. The HSD steels combine highest strength with exceptionally good ductility while the high content of manganese, aluminum and silicon reduce the specific weight by around 5 %. The experts of Salzgitter Mannesmann Forschung GmbH work across a comprehensive spectrum of technical equipment in accredited and certified test laboratories built to the highest specifications and with close geographical and informal connections to customers and plants.

1. The Boston Consulting Group: CO₂-Bilanz Stahl. Ein Beitrag zum Klimaschutz. Study, The Boston Consulting Group 2010.
2. Neugebauer, S.; Finkbeiner, M.; Volkhausen, W.; Mecke, S.; Endemann, G. (2013): „Umweltbewertung von Stahl — neue Ökobilanz berücksichtigt Multirecycling des Werkstoffs“; In: stahl und eisen 133 (2013) No. 7, p. 49–55.