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5 Best Reasons Why TMT Bar is the Future of the Steel and Construction Industry

The Indian construction industry has gone through a transformative phase since the late 1990s, both in technology and research. The proof of this rapid developmental stride is in the steel industry’s products- most of today’s products did not exist a decade ago. The industry has also made its presence in India’s numerous developmental plans in rural, urban and metropolitan areas. With the introduction of robust technological advancements, the popularity of steel products has also increased in the nation. 

But to be the future of any industry, products must meet the growing consumer demands and address the environmental factors. Historically, the steel industry has always been associated with ecological deterioration and destruction. To improve upon that aspect, the steel and construction industry worldwide has advanced into more environmentally conscious modes of production. The goal is to become more sustainable and reduce the industry’s carbon footprint. 

Here is where products such as the TMT bars come into action. TMT bars have proven to be the solution as the bars have adapted to future demands. Let us find out how they have proven to be a massive asset to the construction industry. 

What are TMT Bars?

Before we delve into the benefits, let’s find out all about TMT bars? ‘Thermo Mechanical Treatment’ bars, better known as TMT bars, are among the most necessary construction materials worldwide. They are high-strength reinforcement bars manufactured using a distinctive technique that endows them with a rigid outer surface and a soft internal core, making them strong yet flexible.

TMT bars are steel bars of a new era, suited for concrete reinforcement. These bars are employed widely in modern-day construction work, emphasising quality, safety, and longevity. 

Before TMT Bars

Before TMT bars came into the industry, Cold Twisted Deformed Bars, also known as CTD bars and M.S or Mild Steel Bars, were used for Reinforced Cement Concrete work. These bars failed to deliver on ductility and corrosion resistance compromising structural integrity in the long run. Hence, TMT bars came into existence to combat the downsides of previous construction materials and have now evolved into the most commonly used material for long-lasting structure construction. 

Why is TMT Bar The Future of the Industry?

When we observe the construction industry’s economy, we can witness the advent of the TMT (Thermo mechanically treated) steel bars. These bars are paving a new epoch of advanced growth and demand graph in the steel market.

Here is the reason why we are seeing such growth: 

1. Recyclability and Waste Management

The steel industry is circular, meaning that the generated waste can be used as an input in further production without losing its core properties. Therefore a waste generated can easily be melted and reconstructed, raising the rates of recovery in comparison to other products. It is also relatively easy to recover steel from other waste materials. At present, recycled steel represents as much as thirty percent of the whole new production process of steel making.

2. Longevity 

A key reason why TMT bars are becoming the face of the future of construction is their longevity. TMT bars production takes place, keeping in mind durability. Before TMT bars, iron rods were used in construction, making them prone to corrosion. For example, during the CTD bar manufacturing process, the method of twisting the rods negatively affects the ductility of the bar. It also breaks the protective blue oxide, making the CTD bars susceptible to corrosion.

On the other hand, TMT bars obtain anti-rust properties during the manufacturing process. Due to the intense cooling, coarse carbide, which is the foremost cause of the corrosion, does not get a chance to build up, creating the most durable bars. 

3. Strength 

Compared to ordinary reinforcement bars, the strength of TMT bars sets them apart and makes them the most suitable choice for any construction. The reason behind their strength and ductility is the extreme cooling it receives. The manufacturing process passes through a water cooling system which causes the outer surface to toughen. The ribbed texture of the TMT bar also allows better adhesion with the concrete, offering it more strength, while the flexibility makes it easier to work with. 

4. Disaster Resistant 

All scenarios are considered during construction, even the possibility of man-made or natural disasters. TMT bars are known to be earthquake and fire-resistant, making them a safer choice than other bars. 

The advantage of using TMT bars is their high thermal stability. Because of this property, they can tolerate severe temperatures varying from 400 to 600 degrees Celsius and maintain more than 80% of their ambient temperature yield strength at 300°.

TMT bars are a staple in earthquake-prone zones due to their ability to withstand high levels of stress and pressure because of their fatigue-resistant properties. The soft inner core and the rigid exterior make the bars very ductile, which permits them to absorb shock causing minimal damage to the structure.

5. Weldability 

Architects and engineers are looking to create more unorthodox and unique designs in this modern era without compromising basic structural integrity. TMT bars have high weldability because of the low carbon content. Also, since there is no pre or post-welding treatment, the process is more efficient for the workers.

The Future of TMT Bars

The growth potential of TMT bars is very promising, mainly because of the speed and scale of the infrastructure and the construction activities. Since India is still a budding market, construction-related works have a tremendous scope, which can pump the demand potential in the steel and TMT industry markets. 

Reach out for High-Quality and High-Performance Products

The Steefo Group has been the most trusted name in precision designing, manufacturing, and providing top-notch products and solutions in the field of steel rolling for four decades. They are also pioneers in providing consultancy and manufacturing of rolling mill plants. 

For queries related to TMT bar rolling mills, you can reach out to us by calling us at +919824076873 or write to us at marketing@thesteefogroup.com. You can also check with our consultants to understand TMT rolling mill project costs! We would be happy to help!

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Energy Saving Technology of Rolling Mill System

The steel industry often earns itself a reputation for being energy-intensive. But with recent developments, there has been an opportunity to transform and walk toward the path of energy efficiency. 

In rolling mills, during the production process, intermediate steel products obtain their shape and dimension because of an array of shaping and finishing techniques. To get their shape, slabs are heated to an extreme temperature in the reheating furnace and are then rolled into shape with hot or cold rolling or in finishing mills. Some products specifically require hot rolling, such as reinforcement bars, steel plates, etc. Some products like steel for cars and white goods require both hot and cold rolling. 

But the energy needs and costs for both hot and cold rolling can be significantly high. Due to the cold rolling process, the mechanical forces create much more force and increase the energy needed. In the hot rolling process, the execution is faster as it consumes less force, but substantial energy costs are incurred to heat the metal to near eutectic temperatures. Data accumulated from large integrated plants show that the hot strip rolling process is the third-largest energy user apart from iron and steel making. 

Reheating Furnaces

Reheating furnaces is critical in determining end-product cost and quality in any hot rolling operation. The energy use in a reheating furnace is determined by several production factors such as stock, steel type, etc., and operational factors such as scheduling and design features. 

Globally, the total primary energy requirement for hot rolling was reported at 2 – 2.4 GJ/t, and global average energy needs in cold rolling are between 1 – 1.4 GJ/t. (IEA 2007). The way to harvest energy savings could be via upgrading existing furnaces.

Rolling Mills Technology And Measures To Be Energy Efficient  

1. Process Control in Hot Strip Mill

To improve indirect energy savings through reduced oxygen rejects, we require improved hot strip mill process control. The main objective is to control and monitor oxygen levels to optimise the combustion rate in the furnace. It also enhances productivity and reduces downtime. We can see results from a system installed at a mill in Belgium, which reduced rejects from 1.5% to 0.2%and decreased downtime from more than 50% of the time to 6%. It also leads to a reduction in CO2 emissions by 15.1kg of CO2/t-rolled steel.

2. Oxygen Level Control and VSDs on Combustion Fans

To optimise combustion in the furnace, controlling oxygen levels and using Variable Speed Drives (VSDs) on combustion air fans on the reheating furnace helps significantly. There is a substantial drop in combustion efficiency with excessive air as it leads to unnecessary waste gases. The fuel to air ratio, therefore, should be monitored regularly. The usage of VSDs on combustion air fans also helps keep the oxygen levels on the reheating furnace under check. 

This process has the potential to reduce emissions by 16.6kg CO2/t-rolled steel. It also calculates energy savings to be around 10% or 0.33 GJ/t-rolled steel by a conservative estimate.

3. Pressure Control for Furnace

There are multiple apertures that heating furnaces have, such as extraction ports, raw material charging ports, cracks in the furnace ceiling, and sidewalls. There can be unnecessary heat losses if the pressure in the furnace is too high, causing the heat to be forced out of the furnace.

Due to this, if the internal pressure drops, cold air will be sucked into the furnace, spiking up the fuel consumption. The furnace pressure control technology’s objective is to maintain a constant optimum pressure level to minimise energy consumption.  It is primarily applicable in cases of industrial furnaces, including rolling mill reheating furnaces. 

4. Regenerative Burners for Reheating Furnace

A regenerative burner is a heat recovery system that recovers the furnace exhaust gas’s waste heat to heat the furnace’s combustion air. Heat reservoirs and dual heat-recovering generators of the regenerative burner are utilised. One side of a burner combusts fuel during combustion while the other accumulates the exhaust heat into the heat-recovering generator. 

The burners then switch so that the one collecting the heat combusts the fuel while the other gathers exhaust heat. The usage of regenerative burners for reheating furnaces can deliver significant energy savings. According to NEDO, using regenerative burners on a 110 t/h capacity billet reheating furnace (operating at 1050 oC) can reduce the energy consumption by 0.18 to 0.21 GJ/t-steel in comparison to a conventional furnace.  Annual energy savings are reported to be 9.3 to 11.6 GWh. There is a scope of up to 50% NOx reduction in high-temperature combustion.  CO2 emissions will also be reduced according to the reduced fuel consumption. 

5. Walking Beam Furnace

If you are looking for state-of-the-art efficient reheating furnaces, you will have to look towards a walking beam furnace. In a walking beam furnace, the stock is located on the stationary ridges. The revolving beams walk the product through the furnace till it reaches the exit, where the beam returns to the entrance.

Compared to the three-pusher-styled furnace, installing a walking beam furnace and an efficient control system reduced energy and fuel consumption by 25% and 37.5%. It also provides lower operational costs compared to alternative transmission systems.

Bottom Line

Energy efficiency is a goal that many industries, including the steel industry. Investing into methods reduces exorbitant energy consumption and saves you from facing cost overruns due to lack of optimization. This step toward energy efficiency is also a step toward a better and greener future as many methods cut down on CO2 emissions and improve productivity.