Hyundai Steel focuses on fire-resistant developments

Representatives of Hyundai Steel, Hyundai Engineering, KCC and the Korean Society of Steel Construction signed a joint research and development agreement to strengthen the steel industry. [HYUNDAI STEEL]

Hyundai Steel aims to diversify its business to enhance profitability and overcome the prospect of a recession.

Hyundai Steel has signed a joint research and development agreement for fire-resistant steel structure methods with Hyundai Engineering, KCC and the Korean Society of Steel Construction to address current issues in the steel structure industry and thereby revitalize it.

Steel structures refer to constructions where key architectural parts are joined and assembled using steel materials such as shaped steel or steel pipes.

These structures are mainly used for building piers for bridges and high-rise buildings.

They exhibit high strength, excellent durability, seismic resistance and the ability to shorten construction periods.

When construction companies use steel structures to create buildings with 13 floors or more, they must employ fire-resistant installations to ensure the building can withstand a fire for over three hours.

Such mandatory obligations impose economic and temporal burdens on construction companies, serving as an obstacle to the expansion of buildings using steel structures.

Hyundai Steel and its contracting parties aim to address this issue by utilizing Hyundai Steel's seismic and fire-resistant shaped steel.

Hyundai Steel has successfully conducted a full-scale experiment on the jointly developed HC-Column—the concrete-filled composite column construction method—with SEUM Structural Engineering.

The manufacturability, constructability and overall stability of the composite column were tested.

It is anticipated that this method can achieve savings of more than 40 percent in material costs compared to conventional methods.

The conventional method requires reinforcement at the junction where contact with a horizontal beam occurs. This increases construction time and costs, creating a drawback.

The HC-Column method involves the usage of H-shaped steel with cold-formed C-shaped bent plates welded on both sides.

The web of the H-shaped steel acts as a reinforcing element at the junction, minimizing the need for extra measures. Additionally, the web stretches along the entire length of the column, which can enhance its structural stability.

Hyundai Steel has teamed up with HanmiGlobal, a leading project management specialist in Korea, to promote high-quality steel-framed apartment complexes.

Steel-framed apartments possess advantages over traditional reinforced concrete structure apartments.

They offer spacious interior areas and allow for flexible layout designs tailored to residents’ preferences along with easy remodeling capabilities.

They also provide remarkable seismic safety and have a lengthy lifespan, which reduces social costs associated with reconstruction while minimizing environmental pollution from construction waste.

Hyundai Steel plans to embark on the development of steel-framed apartments in collaboration with HanmiGlobal, leveraging their expertise from managing over 2,900 construction projects domestically and internationally.

The two companies will establish a technology development operating committee in the near future.

BY JEONG SEONWU [jeong.seonwu@joongang.co.kr]

What is “Promoted Content”?

“Promoted Content” articles are written by our staff reporters. They are promoted to some extent by an external company.

Promoted Content is not the same as “Guest Reports,” which are paid advertorials.
Our reporters and editors retain complete editorial independence in the conception and production of Promoted Content.