China Setting Sail
The Cruise Ship Industry The cruise ship industry is one of the worlds most profitable tourist industries. With the US cruise ship industry making a little over $37.8 billion dollars a year it only ma...
Author Archives: Alloy
Truss Bridges – One of the most Versatile Bridges
OVERVIEW Dating back to the early 1820s, truss bridges are one of the oldest modern bridges still being used. Back when it was first introduced, due to the abundance in timber, truss bridges were comp...
Light Steel Structures
Light Steel Structures What Are They? Light Steel Structures are a versatile and customizable construction method that can be used for a variety of building projects. Light steel structures have ...
The Rise of Solar Energy
Dating back to 1876, William Grylls Adams discovered that when selenium was exposed to sun light, it had the ability to produce electricity. In 1953, a group of three men, Calvin Fuller, Gerald Pearso...
From Sewage to Sip-able
The Problem One of the world’s largest problems is the lack of safe drinking water. Every day, 700 million people drink unsafe water. They are taking a risk of contracting several viruses and diseases...
Anti-Microbial Properties of Copper
Anti-microbial Properties of Copper For years the medical industry has used stainless steel as a durable, anti-rust metal for a variety of applications: bed rails, door hardware, operating tables, etc...
Curtain Wall – What It Is and What It Does
During the post World War II era, once the use of aluminum became more widespread, the idea of curtain walls were introduced. Curtain wall is the development of a non-structural cladding system t...
Bronze Metal Facts
Bronze is one of the earliest metals known to man. It is defined as an alloy made of copper and another metal, usually tin. Compositions vary, but most modern bronze is 88% copper and 12% t...
What Is Turned, Ground And Polished?
In order to achieve the high level of precision required, steel shaft manufacturers often use a process called turned, ground and polished. This process involves – as the name implies – three im...
The Abilities and Advantages of Stainless Steel
Nearly everyone has heard of stainless steel or has used it in some way, shape or form throughout their life, but not everyone knows what it is, how it’s made, how it’s used and the advanta...
Metal Properties: Brass
Quite often our customers will ask our team here at Shanghai Metal about the different types of metal, and what to look for when selecting grades, shapes and sizes. A metal is one of the basic element...
Austenitic stainless steels – from kitchen sinks to fuel cell cars
In 1912 the first two patents on stainless steels were submitted by Krupp Stahl in Germany. One represented an austenitic stainless steel (ASS), which was a forerunner of what is today known as type 3...
Why is stainless steel resistant to corrosion
The chromium present in steel forms a protective layer of chromium oxide. This protective layer helps to prevent further corrosion of the metal surface and makes it resistant to staining. Even if the ...
What Is an Alloy in Chemistry?
ALLOY DEFINITION: A substance made by melting two or more elements together.An alloy crystallizes upon cooling into a solid solution, mixture, or intermetallic compound. The components of alloys canno...
Benefits of Using Aluminum Piping for Compressed Systems
Lowering Installation Costs When it comes to a compressed air system, more time is needed to install the system when using steel pipe compared to installing a system using other materials. One f...
What’s the difference between pipe and tube?
One of the most frequent questions we get from customers is “What’s the difference between pipe and tube”? Although pipes and tubes may look similar, they are in fact quite different in nomenclature a...
HOW IS PERFORATED METAL MADE?
1.What Is Perforated Metal? Perforated metal is a form of sheet metal which has been punched or stamped with a machine to create a pattern of holes. It is also known as perforated sheet, perforated pl...
Aluminum VS. Copper – Air Conditioning Coils
Air conditioning companies are offering two different types of coils in their home comfort systems, copper and aluminum. For a long time, copper was the only option. This was not because they did not ...
Glasgow is getting premium student accommodation from shipping containers
Student accommodation in Glasgow and the UK is currently in a transformation stage with an increasing need to make accommodation cheaper for debt-ridden students. Glasgow has opted for the fashionable...
Australia is on the verge of a large solar-energy boom
Due to its location and its lack of interference on the world stage, Australia’s rather impressive integration of solar technology has gone largely unnoticed. However, under the radar, Australia actua...
Base metals prices consolidate
Base metals prices are consolidating on the London Metal Exchange this morning, Wednesday March 29, with prices off an average of 0.2%. Nickel leads the decline with a 0.6% drop to $9,940 per tonne, t...
Is the Boxship industry genuinely recovering?
2017 has thus far rightfully given the containership industry optimism for moving forwards, with many believing they are on their way to healthier markets with more generous rates and earnings. ...
Japan turns to robots as workforce number continue to decline
Japan is quite commonly known around the world as the country which invests most of its time into the development of robots, people from afar and wide often travel to Japan to get a ‘glimpse of the fu...
Copper hits a two week low in response to Trump’s healthcare setback
On March 27th, Copper hit a two-week low as many optimistic funds cut their bets on higher prices amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s failure to gain approval for his reformed health care bill, which h...
Renewable energy is of economic benefit
Many think of the rapid expansion of renewable energies as just a positive for the battle against climate change, not many realize the significant economic benefit it also provides. By economic benefi...
A number of construction teams are bidding to build India’s longest road bridge
India is currently in the process of picking a team to build the countries longest road bridge, upon completion the bridge will then connect the large port city with its southern satellite town of Nav...
Theresa May told by British manufacturers that no Brexit deal would be a disaster
As the heat ramps up amid Britain’s official exit from the European Union, the countries manufacturers have issued a warning that her motto of ‘no deal is better than a bad deal’ is “simply unac...
London Taxi Company invests in a cleaner future
The iconic London Taxi Company has officially opened a £325m plant in Coventry; the factory will produce electric black cabs and work vans for both the domestic and international markets. The co...
Another automotive giant shows faith in post-Brexit Britain
Toyota, the Japanese automotive powerhouse has showed its faith in a post-Brexit Britain by investing £240 million into one of its UK based factories. The plant to receive the funding is located...
Worldwide steel production remained firm in February
Although the global steel production levels fell slightly in February, the output was still significantly above the levels seen a year previous. The World Steel Association reported that 126.6 million...
Dubai complete 200-megawatt power plant as part of world’s largest solar park
The Dubai government has a long ambition to build the world’s biggest solar energy park by 2030, a project that will take much encouragement from the fact Dubai’s government-owned utility just complet...
Is New York to become home to the longest building in the world?
Oiio, an architectural firm based in New York has officially submitted a suggestion for the world’s longest building to be constructed in the city. The idea will be twin residential towers in the desi...
Mixed fortunes for metals on the LME
With the exception of copper, base metals were generally higher on the London Metal Exchange on Tuesday March 21st. “Generally, the metals on the LME have rebounded strongly in recent weeks but they s...
China will not cause another steel market crash in 2017
2016 was a year that saw China receive a bombardment of criticism and complaints from steel companies around the globe, China was highly scrutinized for allegedly dumping unsustainably cheap steel on ...
Copper rally resume amid weak dollar
Having set fresh highs in mid-February, copper prices sold off early in March but support was found ahead of the SL and a rebound followed. The long-term chart (see inset) suggests prices have ...
South Korea make concludes $5.3bn worth of deals with Iran
At home, the South Korean construction industry is currently undergoing a somewhat turbulent period in its domestic market; however, if their recent dealings with Iran are anything to go by then they ...