Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/K52775/01
Title:	IMPROVED FUNCTIONALLY-GRADED COATED STEELS FOR COST-EFFECTIVE ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY CONSTRUCTION
Principal Investigator:	Wilshire, Professor B
Other Investigators:	Arnold, Dr J McMurray, Professor HN Evans, Dr M McMurray, Dr H
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:	Steel Construction Institute Tata Steel Limited
Department:	Materials Engineering
Organisation:	Swansea University
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 January 1996	Ends:	30 June 1999	Value (£):	154,180
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Civil Engineering Materials Materials Characterisation
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Construction
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
The use of coated steel products has grown dramatically for roof and wall cladding of industrial, commercial and domestic buildings. The key reasons for this growth are the combinations of quality, reliability, cost-effectiveness, functionality and aesthetic appeal of these materials. However, recent concern has been expressed over the potential environmental threat associated with weathering attack causing accumulation of toxic chemicals in soils in the vicinity of steel-clad buildings. In view of the growing importance of coated steel products, the construction industry needs to know the long-term environmental impact of current building technologies, with the assurance that, if necessary, new environmentally-friendly products can be developed in the near future to satisfy the demanding fitness-for-purpose standards imposed by the construction industries.The present market-led project has therefore been designed to evaluate the scale of the environmental threat associated with weathering degradation of established coated products and to develop new or improved environmentally-friendly materials which match or exceed the performance combinations attainable with existing product ranges. Parallel studies will then focus on the mechanisms, kinetics and modelling of coating degradation using an innovative combination of electrochemical and microstructural procedures and, using modern econometric techniques, on forecasting of the future patterns of demand for coated steel products for the construction sector.
Key Findings
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Organisation Website:	http://www.swan.ac.uk