Effects of Sulfur & Phosphorus in Structural steel

Specification BSEN 10025 S275JR (Refer Annex 01)

Negative effects of S in steel

ƒ Sulfur adversely affects the mechanical properties of steel and is the cause of red-
shortness, that is, brittleness in the heated state.
ƒ Brittleness of steel at hot metal forming operations due to the presence of low-melting
iron sulfides segregated at grain boundaries is called hot/red shortness.
ƒ It decreases weldability, impact toughness and ductility. Sulfur, in particular, promotes
internal segregation in the steel matrix. This occurs when Sulfur reacts with Fe to form
Fe-S in grain boundaries.

Therefore the properties negatively affected by sulfur are:

• Ductility;
• Impact toughness;
• corrosion resistance;
• Weldability.

Fabrication process

ƒ During the process of tower fabrication, there are only two instances where steel heated
to red-hot.
1. During bending process
2. During milling.

Analysis

ƒ Therefore the only possible stage of embrittlment of steel can take place due to high
sulfur content is during bending process. Normally for red-shortness to happen,
temperature should be greater than 1,3000 C (Refer Annex 03). If any effect to impact
toughness and ductility did not take place during bending process, there will be no any
effect after fabricating the tower.
Negative effects of P in steel

ƒ Phosphorus increases the tendency of the metal to become cold-short, that is, brittle at
reduced temperatures. At concentrations higher than 0.2% iron becomes increasingly cold
short, or brittle at low temperatures.
ƒ This happens when the cold-worked steel is allowed to stand at room temperature or is
heated at a low temperature for a short time,

Fabrication process
ƒ Steel we used for tower fabrication are hot rolled.
ƒ Cold bending is done at room temperature for some steel sections.

Analysis
ƒ Therefore there is no any possibility of cold-short due to high P in steel. If any impact did
not take place during cold bending process, there is no any possibility of impacts to take
place after fabricating the tower.

As Sri Lanka is a tropical country, there is no high variation of temperature throughout the year.
Therefore any impacts can happen due to temperature variations are also minimal.

Reference: http://www.substech.com
http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Steel

Galvanizing of structural steel

ƒ As per the research conducted by American Galvanizers Association, hot dip galvanizing
does not significantly change the mechanical properties of structural steel.
(http://www.galvanizeit.org/images/uploads/drGalv/Mechanical_Properties_Galvanized_
Steel.pdf?tracked=yes)

ƒ Also the excellent field performance of zinc coatings results from their ability to form
dense, adherent corrosion product films and a rate of corrosion considerably below that of
ferrous materials, some 10 to 100 times slower, depending upon the environment. While
a fresh zinc surface is quite reactive when exposed to the atmosphere, a thin film of
corrosion products develops rapidly, greatly reducing the rate of further corrosion.
ƒ Therefore if there is any tendency of corrosion of steel due to high Sulfur content, hot dip
galvanizing reduces that tendency.

ƒ However if the S and P content is high (higher than 0.035 %) in the steel, there is a
tendency for galvanize coating to ‘flake off’. But during galvanizing, flake off has not
observed for any tower part galvanized.
Annex 01

BS EN 10025 – 2 2004
Annex 02

Mill Certificates indicating high S & P contents

A
Annex 03

C
Chemical com
mposition and
d hot shortnesss temperature of steel