Abstract
Welcome to the second Steel World issue of Ironmaking and Steelmaking in 2014. We have three invited articles in this issue. The first is a resumé of the Harry Brearley Stainless Steel Centenary Conference held in Sheffield in June 2013. As I have previously reported, this was a great success and this article highlights some of the key technology and market aspects discussed in the world of stainless steels, including selected properties, applications and market drivers. The global stainless steel market in 2013 was around 32 Mt. Production is predicted to peak in 2075 at around 70 Mt, followed by a decline to around 58 Mt in 2113 – the bi-centenary!
Our second article is by Professor Dr Rob Boom of Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, who describes the European Community Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) and how it differs from the now defunct ECSC system. This new fund is a very successful research and technology development (RTD) instrument dedicated to two important industrial sectors, coal and steel. New processes, new products, numerical models and instrumentation tools are significant outcomes of the projects and the quantitative benefits provided by the projects are high with multipliers of around 1 € spent to 2 to 3 € annual benefit, and with accumulated benefits estimated to generate 8 € in benefits for each 1 € of total budget.
It is well recognised that the UK is an excellent location in which to undertake academic and industrial research. However, the opportunity to access all available funds for technology support and the complex nature of many issues, often involving many parts of the supply chain, means that it is more effective to undertake research through an independent Institute where possible, rather than from within a company. Previous issues of Steel World have illustrated the UK Catapults and Advanced Manufacturing Centres, and our third article in this issue from Dr Chris McDonald of Tata Steel describes the newly formed Materials Processing Institute (MPI) which provides a materials focus to compliment industry sector focus.
At the heart of MPI is its industrial development and technology commercialisation expertise, taking bench top ideas and making them successful in a production environment, supporting the development of new grades of steel and innovation in the extraction and manufacture of materials and materials selection to improve processing.
This issue of Steel World is the first to be available only electronically to members of the Iron and Steel Society of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. Previously, Iron and Steel Society members were sent a print copy of the two annual Steel World issues. Members will be alerted each time a new issue of the journal is published and can view articles online via the IOM3 page at www.iom3.org/content/journal-access.
Executive Editor