Materials in the scaffolding manufacturing
Most of the existing scaffolds in the market today are made of materials such as steel, aluminium, fibreglass or natural elements such as bamboo.
Today we are going to focus on learning more about the characteristics of these materials, as well as their variants and applications.
Steel
Steel is an alloy composed of iron and carbon. Prior to the detonation of the first nuclear bombs, there was low-background steel, i.e. steel that was free from nuclear contamination. However, after the Trinity test and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this material became contaminated with radionuclides, giving rise to today’s steel. However, we can still find low-background steel in sunken battleships, built before the nuclear detonations.
What is low-background steel used for?
Well, there are different devices that need to be built with this material in order to detect the radiation emitted by radioactive materials.
These devices are:
- Geiger counters: an instrument that allows the measurement of the radioactivity of an object or place. It is a particle detector as well as an ionising radiation detector.
- Medical devices
- Scientific equipment: Photonics
- Aeronautical and space sensors
There are many types of steel, depending on the alloy elements present in its composition:
– Carbon steel: also known as “Steel for construction”. It is divided into four categories:
- Mild steel: with a carbon percentage of 0.267%. Applications: Medium resistance pieces with good tenacity, cold deformation, deep drawing, folding, fittings, etc.
- Semi-mild steel: with a carbon percentage of 0.35%. Applications: Axles, machinery elements, resistant pieces, bolts, screws, ironworks, etc.
- Semi-hard steel: with a carbon percentage of 0.45%. Applications: Axles and machine elements, fairly resistant parts, cylinders of explosion engines, transmissions, etc.
- Hard steel: with a carbon percentage of 0.55%. Applications: Axles, transmissions, tensioners and regularly loaded parts with not very high thicknesses.
– Silicon steel: also called “Electric steel”. It is a special steel manufactured to possess magnetic properties.
– Stainless steel: its resistance to corrosion, its hygienic properties and its aesthetic properties make this steel a very attractive material for use in the following markets:
– Household appliances: large household appliances and small household appliances
– Automotive: specially exhaust pipes
– Construction: buildings and street furniture
– Industry: food, chemicals and oil
– Clothing: jewellery making
– Case hardening steels: The purpose of case hardening is to harden the surface of a part without modifying its core. Depending on the hardness and mechanical resistance requirements, there are four types of steels for case hardening treatment:
1. Carbon steel for case hardening. Applications: Lightly loaded and thin parts, with little responsibility and low core tenacity.
2. Steels for Cr-Ni cementation of 125hgf/mm². Applications: Pieces with high resistance in the nucleus and good tenacity. Machine and engine elements, gears, cams, etc.
3. Steels for Cr-Mo cementation of 95hgf/mm². Applications: Parts for cars and machinery with high surface hardness and resistant nucleus. Parts that suffer great wear and transmit high stresses.
4. Steels for cementation with Cr-Ni-Mo of 135kgf/mm². Applications: Large pieces with high resistance and surface hardness. Machines and engines of maximum responsibility, sprockets, etc.
Machining is a manufacturing process that comprises a set of operations for shaping parts by removing materials, either by cutting or by abrasion.
Steel machining: 1. Rolled steel, 2. Forged steel and 3. Corrugated steel.
Steel recycling
At the end of its useful life, all steel built elements such as machines, structures, ships, cars, trains, etc., can be scrapped, separating the different materials and components, thus originating what we commonly call scrap.
The recycling process is carried out under the rules of prevention of occupational and environmental risks. The furnace in which the scrap metal is melted has a high consumption of electricity, so it is usually turned on when the demand for electricity is lower. In addition, radioactivity detectors are placed during different stages of the recycling process.
Aluminium
It is a chemical element, a non-ferromagnetic metal. It is the third most common element found in the earth’s crust.
It is a good conductor of electricity and heat, is easily mechanised and is very cheap. For all these reasons, it is the most widely used metal after steel.
The main disadvantage to obtain it, resides in the high amount of electrical energy that requires its production, nevertheless, this problem is compensated by its low cost of recycling, its long life and the stability of its price.
It is a very abundant element in nature, which reflects well the electromagnetic radiation of the visible and thermal spectrum, which makes it a good conductor of electrical and thermal energy.
It is a soft and malleable material, so it is suitable for the manufacture of electrical cables and thin sheets, but not as a structural element. In order to create structural elements it needs to be alloyed with other metals by means of casting and forging operations.
Applications and uses
In its pure state, it is used to manufacture mirrors, both domestic and industrial (reflecting telescopes), as it has excellent optical properties.
Its most popular use is as aluminium foil and food packaging. It is also used to make cans and tetrabriks.
Due to its electrical properties it is a good conductor, able to compete perfectly with traditional copper.
Aluminium recycling
Aluminium is 100% recyclable, without diminishing its qualities, which is why its recovery through recycling has become an important facet within the industry, since the process in question requires very little energy.
In order to proceed with its recycling, it is first necessary to carry out a selection of the scrap metal, in order to achieve the desired alloy. Next, the scrap iron will be compacted or fragmented to facilitate its storage and later transport.
During 2019 Spain recycled around 53,000 tonnes of aluminium, and in Western Europe as a whole around 500,000 tonnes, with Germany being the country that recycled the most aluminium.
Fiberglass
This is the most used fibre for industrial applications, due to its availability, its mechanical characteristics and its low cost.
The main characteristics of fibreglass are:
– High adherence
– Superior mechanical resistance to steel
– Electrical insulation, good permeability, dielectric
– Non-combustibility
– Dimensional stability
– Compatibility with organic materials
– Does not rot, and is insensitive to rodents and insects
– Weak thermal conductivity (heating savings)
– Excessive flexibility and low cost
Applications
It is used in the manufacture of cars, boats, wind turbine blades, aeroplanes, water tanks, defence structures, in the construction market both civil and building, urban furniture, and recently to manufacture various elements of sports equipment, such as skis, surfboards, canoes, etc.
Fibreglass recycling
Fibreglass has developed the possibility of being recycled. During the process the fibreglass is recovered by separating it from the resin, allowing it not to lose its properties and therefore to be reused.
The useful life of this material is between 15 and 40 years, after which it will be recycled.
The recycling system does not cause serious emissions that pollute the environment or are aggressive to the materials. In addition, it is economically profitable because it is carried out under mild temperature and pressure conditions, leading to low energy costs in its chemical process.
Every year 150,000 tonnes of fibreglass are deposited in landfills in the European Union.
Bamboo
Here is a plant that for centuries has played an important role in the development of cultures such as the Asian one, and more recently, due to its diverse applications, as well as the incessant need for the use of renewable sources, other regions and countries such as Australia and the United States are carrying out large extensions of cultivation for bamboo.
Characteristics of the bamboo
Bamboo stands out for its hardness. Its main advantage is the speed with which it grows. In addition, after its harvest, the bamboo regenerates without the need to plant it again, so it is a sustainable plant. It has a hardness similar to the one of the oak, and some species have a still greater resistance. It usually grows creating real forests.
Bamboo applications
Bamboo is a natural and ecological resource with a variety of applications for its use in daily life. Due to their characteristics, they are many the companies that use it, contributing this way to their activity the sustainable character that the bamboo grants.
At the moment the bamboo is used in the following markets:
– Feeding
– Medicine
– Construction
– Textile
– Paper
– Musical instruments
– Biomass
– Oars
– Writing
Bamboo recycling
It is ideal to use what we need from the earth for our lives, but it is also ideal that, once used, the waste generated can become part of nature again without causing any negative consequences in terms of pollution. Today’s societies are gradually understanding the importance of living in a clean environment.