Bridges

Plates made of structural high-strength steel, in most cases combined with concrete, are today the preferred materials for bridge designers. Many bridges around the world have -and are being- built with ArcelorMittal structural steels.

The main applications of our quarto plates are: composite girders and box girders made of built-up welded sections for road, railway and pedestrian bridges; bridge bearings (composite panels) and decks.

Plates for Hovenring bridge (Eindhoven) were manufactured at ArcelorMittal Gijón (Spain). Image © ipv Delft - Henk Snaterse

Bridge bearings and box girders

Our quarto plates S355/420/460 N/NL grades are normalised, weldable, fine grain structural steel plates. Their high strength levels, excellent formability and welding performance makes them the right choice for bridge fabrication. They are available in wide dimensional range. 

Our quarto plates S355/420/460 M/ML grades are thermomechanically-rolled, fine grain structural steel characterised by minimum yield strength, good weldability and high resistance to brittle racking. 

Our steel includes minimum yield strength level & good toughness, as well as good weldability and corrosion resistance. A Z test option is available for higher structural integrity. Images © Patrick Le Pense / ArcelorMittal

Composite girders

The main requirements include minimum yield strength level & good toughness, as well as good weldability, corrosion resistance and Z-striction performance.

Plates made with weathering steel are one of our main recommendations for this application. They offer an outstanding resistance to atmospheric corrosion, meeting the requirements of the EN 10025-5:2019 standard, including new options for toughness guarantee at very low temperatures.

These grades are fine-grain, high-strength structural steels that have been optimised to give improved processing and in-service performance.

With their characteristic patina, our weathering steel plates are used in bridge construction to harmonise with the environment or to create a pleasing contrast with other materials.

When used uncoated and exposed to weather, an oxide layer develops on the steel surface, forming a purplish-brown, finely grained patina that bonds very strongly to the steel and protects it. If the patina is damaged, the steel re-oxidises, thus repairing the patina and maintaining the protective barrier.

When coated (with paint, metallic coatings, etc) the protective layer prevents rust propagation under the paint layer. Our weathering steel plates have excellent weldability with all the usual welding processes thanks to their low carbon content and fine-grained structure.