Dongkuk Steel Mill said on the 4th that it obtained a structural performance evaluation technology certificate from the Korean Society of Steel Construction for its large welded section "D-Mega Beam."
D-Mega Beam is a "customized section" that Dongkuk Steel Mill produced for the first time in April. Using the latest equipment from Italy's Corimpex, it is made by welding plate into a section shape. Without standardized specifications, it can be custom-made to the customer's needs.
Dongkuk Steel Mill chose the word "mega" for the name, considering that it is the only company in Korea capable of producing ultra-large units in the 3-meter class. Based on H-beam standards, it can be produced from a minimum size of 150mm x 300mm to a maximum of 3000mm x 1250mm.
The certified technology is named "Design and manufacturing technology for large BH with secured high welding efficiency." Dongkuk Steel Mill is the only company in Korea to apply a "horizontal welding" method. Unlike other companies that tilt the product and perform "downhand welding" at four spots, the company lays the product horizontally, sets the welding angles to 45 degrees on both sides, then moves the product to finish with two welds. The company said that because small defects in construction steel can significantly affect overall safety, it improved stability through simultaneous welding on both sides.
Interest in large welded sections has been increasing as large infrastructure projects such as data centers, plants, and logistics centers move forward, with steel materials that consider stability and space efficiency in focus. However, compared with rolled H-beams, the lack of a means to guarantee the stability of welded joints slowed the pace of market expansion.
Dongkuk Steel Mill expects the market to gradually activate through this certification of structural stability for its welded sections. Having established a steel solution system that includes existing sections and bar products (rebar), the company plans to expand supply volumes for various projects by construction firms.
A Dongkuk Steel Mill official said, "As a product whose performance was verified through full-scale large-structure testing, we expect to secure competitiveness in the large beam market," adding, "We plan to continue expanding the scope of product application by strengthening collaboration with design and construction companies."