Stainless steel in structures in view of sustainability

Recent years have seen an increase in the use of structural stainless steel, mainly owing to its aesthetic and architectural qualities alongside durability. Among stainless steels, ferritic grades are characterized by low nickel content resulting in a more cost-stable and economic material compared with austenitic stainless steels, allowing a balanced approach between economic and environmental aspects. As an introduction, this paper presents the recent research outcomes especially concerning the currently ongoing RFCS project “Structural Applications of Ferritic Stainless Steels”. Then, attention is paid to the advantages and challenges associated with the use of this material in recent construction projects in view of sustainability. Life cycle analysis is explained. The background of the new European standard EN 15804 is described, including Module D, which takes now into account the end-of-life phase. Life cycle inventories of stainless steel products (cold-rolled coils and quarto plate) are presented. Depending on the fraction of material recovered at the end of the lifespan, several potential impacts such as the Primary Energy Demand and Global Warming Potential are compared for four grades: 1.4301 (AISI 304) and 1.4401 (AISI 316) austenitic grades, 1.4016 (AISI 430) ferritic grade and 1.4462 (AISI 2205) duplex grade. The influence of the end-of-life credits and loads is underlined.