Metals Watch

COPPER TUBING GROWTH EXPECTED TO SLOW

Following record production years in the United States where production of copper tubing increased by almost 30 percent between 1990 and 1994, production of copper tubing is expected to sustain a much slower growth pattern, according to Paul Gray, senior consultant with CRU International Ltd., London.

On the other hand, Gray says that copper tube consumption in most of the Pacific Rim countries will continue to outperform the industrialized world, and China will be the fastest growing market for copper during the next five years. Demand in China is expected to grow at a rate of 30 percent annually until the year 2000 due mainly to the country's growing air conditioning manufacturing industry.

In 1994, copper tube production worldwide reached 1.37 million tons, which was a record for the industry.

STEEL TUBE MAKERS LAUNCH PROMO CAMPAIGN

Manufacturers of steel tubular products, used in building applications such as electrical conduit, fire sprinkler pipe and other installations, today announced the launch of an industry-wide campaign to promote steel tubular products as the material of choice for safety and quality construction. The campaign is being conducted under the auspices of the Steel Tube Institute of North America’s Standard Pipe Committee, Mentor, Ohio.

"The objective of our program is to show that steel brings long-lasting benefits to any construction project," says C. Richard Wahl, president of Wheatland Tube, Collingswood, N.J., and chair of STI’s Standard Pipe Committee.

"The industry wants the key decision makers on any project to understand that in many applications," continues Wahl, "steel provides strength and safety that can help them avoid major problems down the road."

For years the petroleum industry has aggressively promoted plastic as a modern, economical alternative to metal, according to Wahl. Now, "we believe the public needs to hear the other side of the story," he says.

LEAD BATTERY DEMAND KEEPS GROWING

According to the Center For Resource Management, Denver, lead-acid batteries are the nation’s most highly recycled consumer product. A survey by Battery Council International, Washington, shows a recycling rate of 98 percent for battery lead – a considerably higher rate than many other materials.

The uses for lead-acid batteries are steadily increasing. This month, Wal-Mart will open a new store in City of Industry, Calif., which will feature a parking lot in which several electric vehicles can be parked – and have their batteries recharged while their owners shop. In addition, some Native American reservations are using photovoltaic and wind systems to produce energy for remote individual homes. The energy is stored in lead-acid batteries, where it is available for long-term use.

Besides starting cars, trucks and boats, lead-acid batteries are also being used to propel commercial and recreational electric vehicles.

HISTORIC METAL PLANTS ARE HONORED BY ASM

Three sites have been named ASM Historical Landmarks by ASM International, Materials Park, Ohio: the Greenwood Furnace in central Pennsylvania; Tannehill Ironworks, Birmingham, Ala.; and the Edgar Thomson Plant of U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works, Braddock, Pa.

Greenwood Furnace was founded in the early 1830s as a blast furnace with a rated annual capacity of 1,200 gross tons of iron. By the mid-1850s, Greenwood was among the largest ironworks in the state of Pennsylvania, producing 1,600 tons annually. The company expanded into railway products, forming Freedom Iron Co. on the same site. After reaching its peak production of 3,000 tons of metal in 1870, the furnace eventually closed in 1903.

Tannehill Ironworks is considered the birthplace of the iron and steel industry in the Birmingham region. Founded in 1830, the ironworks went through several owners and expansions before being damaged in the Civil War. The ironworks was never again operational, but the restoration of the site as part of the Tannehill Historical State Park is said to be one of the best preserved 19th century ironworks in America.

Ground was broken for the Edgar Thompson plant in 1873 when Andrew Carnegie decided to build steel rails using the Bessemer method. Throughout its operation, the plant evolved with the technology of the time, from Bessemer Converters to open hearths to an oxygen converter facility to a dual strand slab caster.

Today, the facility is among the oldest continuously operating steel plants in the world.

One of the society’s most prestigious, the ASM Historical Landmark award was established in 1969 with the objective of preserving the metallurgical heritage of the United States, while at the same time seeking to increase the awareness of the many pioneering milestones in engineering materials technology.