The meeting of the Joint Materials Technology Steel Committee on 18 April 2024, which brought together experts both on site and online, opened up new dialogues on key aspects of steel production and processing. The event was dedicated to current research approaches, technological developments and challenges in the industry.

Highlights included incisive impulse lectures from leading academics and industry experts. Kathrin Thiele from Montan University Leoben shared her findings in the field of inclusion metallurgy, while Dr. Alexander Gramlich from RWTH Aachen University discussed the role of copper impurities in massive forming. The complexity of hydrogen use in steels was discussed by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Pohl from Ruhr University Bochum, and Dr. Benedikt Zeumer from McKinsey & Company shed light on the economic aspects of the transformation in the European steel industry.

After a joint lunch break, further studies were presented, such as the proof of hydrogen embrittlement and the resulting damage caused by hydrogen input during heat treatment processes. Dr. Hans-Günter Krull from the Swiss Steel Group continued the discussion on scale formation, a highly relevant topic for operators of burners powered by natural gas or hydrogen.

The event concluded with a lively round of discussions, which focused in particular on the upcoming workshop on pre-competitive joint research. The focus here was on the application to quantify critical impurity concentrations, an essential step in ensuring the quality of future steel products.

The outcomes and discussions of the meeting reflect the Joint Committee's commitment to continuously develop innovative solutions and drive the industry forward through close collaboration between research and industry.

The next meeting of the Joint Materials Technology Steel Committee will take place in Bremen and online in November 2024. Participation is free of charge for DGM and AWT members.

Are you interested in actively participating in one of our expert committees (EC) or working groups (WG)? We cordially invite you to register yourself directly in the respective committees. In this way, we can ensure that you always receive up-to-date information on the diverse activities of our committees.