VOL 1. ISSUE 1. DECEMBER 1998

ASA go’s Online!One of the key objectives of the ASAbusiness plan over next five years was thedevelopment of more effectivecommunication methods with government,community and industry to improveawareness of the benefits which flow fromeffective utilisation of slag products. Insupport of this, the ASA has establishedits place on the information superhighway at http://www.asa-inc.org.au

The Educational and Promotioncommittee together with the BusinessDevelopment manager have been workinghard, to ensure that the site is jam packedwith relevant and timely information onindustry developments. Initially this site willintroduce the association and its variousCommittee’s. Included will be membercompany details incorporating links tomember web-sites as available. There will beproduct information including a broad rangeof construction applications for slag.

Selected case studies of recently completedprojects that highlight the technicaladvantages arising from the utilisation of slagbased products will be reported.

In due course we will further enhance thesite with a library database of publishedpapers with listing extracts and authorsdetails as available, thus providing a valuablesource of reference. Our on lined o w n l o a d a b l en e w s l e t t e r“ C o n n e c t i o n s ”(commencing with thisinitial edition) will beavailable by using theemail registration formsfor electronic copies. Weexpect that the site willcommence operationsduring the course ofNovember/December ofthis year. C

Q U A R T E R L Y

1998

The first of many to come! Welcome Peter,Farewell PaulThere is a new General Manager atAustralian Steel Mill Service (ASMS) , MrPeter Taylor has taken up the position ofGeneral Manager effective 12th October1998. Peter, an Australian, joins theASMS team with a 30 year career inmanufacturing, mainly with TubeMakers. He trained as a Metallurgistand lived in Wollongong for a periodover 20 years ago. Peter and his wifewill be relocating from their currentresidence in the Gold Coast.

Paul and Diane Ratcliff arescheduled to return to Canada in thelater part of November to take up thewell deserved status of semi-retiredCanadian consultant’s and Bed andBreakfast (B&B) operators. Diane hasinformed us that all Aussie’s arewelcome to taste their hospitality andbeautiful country side for an appropriatefee, how did she explain it? “100 milesfrom Toronto and 1” inch from heaven”Sounds great book me in!.

Paul has served three years asChairman of the ASA - during Paul’schairmanship his professionalism andenthusiasm will be the legacy he leavesbehind. The ASA wish both Paul andDiane the very best for the future.

WELCOME to our first associationnewsletter. Founded in 1990, from membersrepresenting producers, processors,marketers, customers and suppliers theAustralasian Slag Association’s major focusis to promote the use of slag products.

Whilst the majority of members areinvolved with iron and steel slags, there isalso representation from members involvedwith slags from other pyrometallurgicalprocesses. As the Australasian association, wehave members across the region, includingNew Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia.

In the 9 years since formation, theAssociation has been active in theTechnical, Operational and educationalareas. It has conducted educationalseminars and conferences, in its own rightand in company with other associations andprofessional bodies. The association is aforum for sharing information on slagproduct properties and uses, processinnovation, equipment, safety andenvironment. One outcome is the

production of two major technicalpublications in conjunction with the NSWRoads and Traffic Authority. The first wasthe use of Slag in Roads and the second, theuse of Slag in Concrete. A third majorpublication on the use of slag in Asphaltand Pavements is currently in preparation.

Working to a new 5 year plan, theassociation is expanding its communicationsnetwork through this newsletter andestablishing a presence on the electronicsuper highway. It is also seeking to makethe case for slag as a material of choice tothe construction industry and toGovernment. A view strongly held bymembers of the association is that the slagproducts have a real contribution to make,particularly in improving the durability ofstructures. Their use can also makes animportant contribution to ecosustainability.

Read on and allow us to introduce you tothe Australasian Slag Association, itsmembers and products. C

Web

site

: ww

w.a

sa-in

c.or

g.au

Em

ail:

uses

lag@

asa-

inc.

org.

au

VOL 1. ISSUE 1. DECEMBER 1998THIS QUARTER: 1 Welcome • ASA go’s

online • Welcome Peter 2 Entertainment

Centre • Olympic success • Change is inevitable

3 Melbourne Sports Centre • New Members

4 Committee reports 5 Use of steel and slag •

New slag cement processing • Our industry

association 6 Subscription form

T H E A U S T R A L A S I A N S L A G A S S O C I A T I O N N E W S L E T T E R

Connectionsa s s o c i a t i o n

@www.asa-inc.org.auUNDER CONSTRUCTION

AFTER many years of negotiations, planningand design re-considerations the newWollongong Entertainment Center wasopened by the Hon. Bob Carr MP on the 3rdSeptember 1998.

The project commenced in 1997 underthe control of local construction contractorsCamarda & Cantrill Pty Limited whoperformed to a very tight constructionschedule to complete this $16 millionproject, on time and within budget.

The Wollongong Entertainment Center,constructed of concrete, hebel blocks,structural steel and metal deck roofing,stands out prominently on theforeshores of Wollongong southbeach. Specifications for thedesign and project managementwere provided by the Departmentof Public Works and Services.

This project represents anothersuccessful application of GroundGranulated Blast Furnace Slag(GGBFS) and Air Cooled BlastFurnace Slag Aggregates. They were used inthe construction of the concrete walls, floors,columns and beams. Cleary Bros (Bombo)

Pty Limited supplied over 4300 m3 of highslag blended cement and slag aggregateconcrete for the construction of this project.

Key reasons for the inclusion of these slagproducts relates to the advantages arisingfrom the properties of reduced dryingshrinkage, and increased resistance tosodium sulphate attack. Located only 150meters from Wollongong south beach, itreassuring to know the concrete within thebuilding will stand the test of time. C

Wollongong Entertainment Center-Another Slag success story.

Slag gains Olympic success and buildsfor the future

ASMS Port Kembla slag products haveachieved unprecedented levels of acceptance inthe current Olympics-driven Sydneyconstruction boom. ASMS-BHP’s Port Kemblaslag processing and marketing contractor, hasbeen successful in having a number of slagproducts specified into various Olympicprojects. Large tonnage’s are being utilised inprojects, such as the Equestrian Center,Velodrome and the main Homebush site.Olympic-related enhancements at SydneyAirport have also seen the already high usageof slag products reach record levels.

Since the first major success with theThird Runway slag construction, well inexcess of half a million tones of various slagproducts have been utilised at the airport.This tonnage will continue to increase, withfuture planned projects. The applicationswhere slag products are being used in theseprojects range from; use as a soil conditioner,to Roadbase and civil works through toAsphalt and Concrete construction.

Whilst the Olympics projects are highprofile and have gained much interest, it ispleasing to note that it is in the generalmarket where most tones are being utilised.Port Kembla slag sales in 1998 will exceed1.65m tones and are rapidly approachingfull utilisation of the 1.8m tones generatedannually. It is the success in these ongoingmarkets, which are not Olympic related,that will see full utilisation of all slagarisings being achieved and sustained in theforeseeable future. C

DECEMBER 1998

2 A S S O C I AT I O N connections VOL 1 • ISSUE 1

Change isInevitableHarsco owners of HeckettMultiServ, recently acquiredinterest in all Faber Prest Plcoperations via an offeraccepted overwhelmingly byFaber Prest shareholders. Theoffer was approximately $97million.

The UK-based Faber Prestprovides a range of on site slagprocessing and materialshandling services to worldwidesteel producers, as well asintegrated logistics andtransportation services to thesteel industry and othermarkets. In particular, withinAustralasia acquisition includedoperations in New Zealand,Australia, Singapore andMalaysia. Harsco plans tomerge Faber Prest with itsHeckett MultiServ Division.

Other recent changes atHeckett MultiServ include theappointment of ClydeKirkwood as Group GeneralManager of Operations, asScott Chalmers has taken upother responsibilities as theRegional Director Australia andEast Asia. Within Clydes’ newrole he has also taken up theposition of chair for the ASAOperations Committee, youwill find his thoughts on issuesthat confront and challengethe Association today and inthe future very interesting.

“This project

represents another

successful application

of Ground Granulated

Blast Furnace Slag

(GGBFS) and Air

Cooled Blast Furnace

Slag Aggregates.”

The APMCA–Victorian branch annual dinnerand awards night was held at the CarltonCrest Hotel on 24 July 1998.

The Diving Tower at the MelbourneSport and Aquatic Centre won the award forthe “Most Innovative Use of Concrete in lieuof alternate products”.

The structure required a high degree ofrigidity to minimise vibration so thatcameras could be mounted at the top of thestructure to record diving techniques.

The Designers: Connell Wagner andAssociates, Contractors: BaulderstoneHornibrook and Technical Consultants: CRLPty Ltd were involved in the preparation andoverseeing that the specifications were

compiled to.The specifications required a 56 day

concrete strength of 80Mpa f ’c, and afterstripping the formwork a surface applicationof tiles or paint was to be applied.

The concrete was supplied by Pronto MixedConcrete and contained a cementitious blendof high proportions of Ground GranulatedBlast furnace Slag supplied by IndependentCement and Lime Pty Ltd. Master BuildersTechnologies supplied the admixtures.

The resultant concrete achieved an f’c of80Mpa at 28 days and due to the high qualityof surface finish it was decided not to coatthe structure but leave it as a plain concreteoff form finish. C

ANI COMSTEELCommonwealth Steel Company Limited, amember of the ANI Group, has recently joinedthe ASA as a member. The company is known as“ANI Comsteel” and operates a 50 tone ElectricArc Furnace at the works situated in theNewcastle suburb of Waratah NSW. The steelmanufacturing process combines the 50t EAFwith 2 Ladle Furnaces, a Vacuum DegassingUnit, a Vertical Billet Caster and Ingot Casting.Product manufactured includes Grinding Mediafor the mining industry, Rolled bar, Forgings,Railway Wheels and Railway Axles.

Comsteel is exploring a range of strategiesfor the use of EAF slag.” For furtherinformation regarding the companiesoperations, products and services, pleasecontact Ralph Penn, ENVIRONMENTSUPERINTENDENT on 02 4967 0495.

JOHN FINLAY ENGINEERING PTY LTD.The range of equipment distributed by JohnFinlay Engineering Pty Ltd has won a specialrespect from Australian operators many of whomstarted in business with a single unit andsubsequently built large business empirescoming back time and again to increase capacity.

Active throughout Australia from a Brisbanehead quarters. The equipment supplied by

John Finlay Engineering over the last 25 yearscan be found operating around the clock in theexacting conditions which exist in AustralianPrimary industries were key features such asperformance, reliability, ease of maintenanceand durability are of paramount importance.

John Finlay Engineering can be contacted at:Head Office, John Finlay Engineering Pty Ltd,740 Old Gympie Road BURPENGARY QLD4505 Contact TOLL FREE: 1800 777 300.

NS KOMATSUNS Komatsu commenced operations inAustralia in the early 1960’s as a dealership runby Australian agents importing equipment fromJapan. In due course the parent company,Komatsu, purchased the agency and some sevenyears ago formed a joint venture with theNittetsu Shoji company to become NS Komatsu.Nittetsu Shoji is a subsidiary of Nippon Steeland NS Komatsu are the largest customer forsteel plate from the company.

NS Komatsu produce a wide range of civilconstruction equipment including bulldozers,excavators, haul trucks, wheel loaders, gradersand mobile crushers. They currently sell theworld’s largest bulldozer, the D575A-2SD, whichweighs in at 142,500 kg and 858 kw.Excavators range from 320 kg to 660,000 kg. AKomatsu mobile crusher is currently employedat the Olympics 2000 site.

The company is well representedthroughout Australia with 18 agencies and 185employees. For further information pleasecontact Peter Calder on 02-97958300 or PeterGledhill on 02 9795 8345. C

We welcome ANIComsteel, John FinlayEngineering Pty Ltd. andNS Komatsu tomembership of theassociation. We haveincluded a short overviewof the products, servicesand contacts just to getyou re-acquainted.

Political briefings -Visitors and Visits.Through the member for Keira - MrColin Markham, M.P. the Minister forPublic Works and Services, MrRonald Dwyer M.P. recently viewedvarious member operations in theWollongong region. The Ministertoured both slag production andprocessing and received apresentation from the ExecutiveCommittee on slag contributions tothe construction industry.

Member for the SouthernHighlands, Ms Peta Seaton M.P.recently facilitated a meeting atParliament House with the NSWLiberal Deputy Leader Ron Phillips,M.P. Subsequent to our meeting MsSeaton will becoordinating a tourof various memberoperations in theWollongong regionfor her colleagues.

VOL 1 • ISSUE 1 A S S O C I AT I O N connections 3

DECEMBER 1998

Melbourne Sports and Aquaticcentre diving tower wins award

The specifications required a 56 day concrete strength of80Mpa f’c, and after stripping the formwork a surface

application of tiles or paint was to be applied.

New Members

Our Industry AssociationOur associations role is to bring togetherSlag Producers, Processors, Customersand Suppliers to the Slag industry. Ouractivities cover Technical Developments,Plant Operations and Processes,Education and Promotion. If you wouldlike more detail on the association, andhow you can be come involved, justcomplete the information tag at the endof this newsletter. Current membership isas listed below.

Our Members• Australian Cement Ltd• Australian Steel Mill Services Pty• Australian National Industries (ANI)• BHP Integrated Steel Div (Port

Kembla)• BHP Long Products Div (Whyalla)• BHP Products Div (Newcastle)• Blue Circle Southern Cement Ltd• Boral Concrete & Quarries• Brambles Equipment• Brambles Industrial Services• Butler W B• Cement Lime Slag• ‘University of Wollongong -

Civil and Mining Department• Cleary Bros (Bombo) P/L• Coffey Partners International• CSIRO• CSR Readymix Group• Finlay Screens• Gough & Gilmour• Haber E W• Heaton B S• Heckett Multiserv• Heggies Bulkhaul• Kress Corporation• Laporte Metal Services• Mahaffey Associates• Marosszeky M• Metserv Australasia Pty Ltd• Milburn New Zealand Ltd• Mountain Industries P/L• National Slag Association• Nichimen Australia Limited• Nippon Slag Association• NS Komatsu• Pioneer Concrete P/L• Premium Tyre Service P/L• Prosser S D• Quarry Products Association• Queensland Cement Ltd• Reeves C M• Roads & Traffic Authority of NSW• Slag Cement Sdn Bhd• Smorgon Steel• South Coast Equipment• Specialist Crushing & Screening

Services• Ssang Yong Cement (S) Ltd• Steel Cement Ltd• Steelstone Services (Aust)• Sulphide Corporation P/L• The Slag Reduction Company

of NZ Ltd• UBE Industries Ltd• Wormald Fire Systems

Technical CommitteeChair: Martin Venour – The ASA TechnicalCommittee meets 4 times per year at theCSIRO Building Technology Center at NorthRyde in Sydney. With the main role of sharingtechnical information on slag products fromboth ferrous and non ferrous production.

Over recent years, our members have beeninvolved in Research Projects, AustralianStandards Committees, presentation of papersat various conferences and seminars bothnationally and internationally.

Currently members are preparing thethird in a series of publications on uses ofiron and steel slag’s, with a key focus on steelmaking slag’s used in Asphalt and SealingAggregates. This publication cooperativelyproduced by the Australasian SlagAssociation, Road and Traffic Authority ofNSW, Australian Asphalt PavementAssociation, and VIC Roads will be a valuableresource for all specifiers and designers.

Another project just completed by theCommittee with the CSIRO was a researchproject to develop a test method to determinethe potential for expansion of steel slag. Themethod developed is believed to be unique inthe world and uses a different approach to theissue, but is believed to be a simpler test thanthose used elsewhere in the world.

Education and Promotion CommitteeChair: David Jones – This committee is taskedwith the role of communicating theadvantages of slag products and providinginformation to users and those who wouldseek to know us and our materials better.

In the years since the associationsformation, the committee has been involvedin the organisation of conferences, seminarsand events to promote the attributes of slagproducts. This group also has supported thepublication of the major slag guides,produced in company with the NSW Roadsand traffic Authority.

Development of the 5 year plan(1998/2003) has been a important step inmoving the association forward. One of theoutcomes of the plan has been theemployment of Craig Heidrich as our BusinessDevelopment Manager. Others include,improved information and communicationand bringing to Government and Regulators

the needs of the industry and the potential forslag products to contribute to ecosustainability goals.

An initial round of discussions with bothsides of Parliament, with follow up visits tothe Port Kembla slag producing facilities havebeen a key focus in changing Governmentawareness of slag and its contribution, withpositive feedback on the future changes.

This year, we are currently initiating theASA site on the Information Super highway asdiscussed elsewhere in this newsletter. It isexpected that this newsletter as well as otherinformation about the association and itsproducts will be progressively be availablefrom this site.

Currently, the major publications producedby the association are being incorporated intoa handy compendium. This will become aninvaluable reference source for people using tobest advantage, or needing to understand theuse of slag products. These are expected to be

available from the end of November 1998, soplease contact us you would a copy.

A remake of the association video andproviding seminars for engineering students atWollongong and Newcastle Universities havecapped the project list for this year.

Operations CommitteeChair: Clyde Kirkwood – Over-view andObjectives-The Operations committeeobjectives are to share our experiences withregard to the safety and environmental aspectsof our industry, and hopefully learn from theseevents. The committee comprises ofrepresentatives from operating companies,equipment suppliers, and slag producers.

SafetyThe handling and processing of slag,historically, has been a dangerous environmentin which to work, and will remain so. This,however, does not mean we have to accept anyinjuries or accidents in our industry. With thecommittee comprising of operations managers,and equipment supplier representatives wehave the ability to share our safety policies,accidents that are occurring, correctiveactions to these and safety advantages inequipment design.

4 A S S O C I AT I O N connections VOL 1 • ISSUE 1

Committee Reports

“An initial round of discussions with both sides of Parliament, withfollow up visits to the Port Kembla slag producing facilities havebeen a key focus in changing Government awareness of slag and itscontribution, with positive feedback on the future changes.”

Slag - “the ultimate renewable resource”video has recently been completed andavailable now. New additional footage hasbeen incorporated demonstrating thebeneficial properties of slag in variouslarge-scale projects that have beencompleted in recent years. The video(15mins duration) outlines slag’s historicalbeginning’s to the various types of slag’sthat are produced in a modern productionprocess. Copies are available to membersat a cost of $15.00 each. Just completethe subscription form and indicate yourrequirements.

Given the number of high quality guidesthe ASA has produced, and continues toproduce (i.e. new -”Guide to the Use ofSteel Furnace Slag in Asphalt and ThinBituminous Surfacings”) together withbulletins, newsletters and generalcorrespondence. The Education andPromotion Committee have developed acompendium for the purposes of storingthese items and more. It is anticipatedthat the Compendiums will become aninvaluable complete reference tool forengineers, specifices, consultants, localgovernment, and various slag users.Copies are available to members at a costof $15.00 each. Just complete thesubscription form and indicate yourrequirements.

VOL 1 • ISSUE 1 A S S O C I AT I O N connections 5

EnvironmentThe benchmark for environmental

compliance is continually being raised, andwith a high profile industry we need to beleading the improvements in this field and notfollowing. Through the committee memberswe have the unique position to be able todiscuss our environmental concerns and shareideas to help manage operational problemsassociated with our business activities.

ObjectivesIt is in everybody’s interest that we make the

industry in which we work a safe andenvironmental friendly environment. To this end

the objectives of the committee are two fold:-To help reduce the environmental effects of

our activities to a practicable minimum and toencourage and demonstrate a commitment toenvironmental excellence.

To help stop all unsafe practices and toensure that we aim towards zero accidents andinjuries in our industry.

Inquires about becoming involved in theactivities of any of the committees can bemade by contacting us via our web-site, byphone, e-mail or forwarding the responsecoupon at the end of this newsletter. C

The Technical Committee of the AustralasianSlag Association has been developing thethird in a series guides: “A “Guide to the Useof Steel Furnace Slag in Asphalt and ThinBituminous Surfacings”. Previous guidesrelated to Roadbase and Cement andConcrete have been very well received by therelevant industries and it is anticipated thatthis guide will also be very useful forspecifiers, road owners, consultants andasphalt producers.

The initial text was prepared through asub-committee of the Technical Committee,which was chaired by Brian Heaton,Newcastle University and coordinated viamyself. The Technical sub-committeeincludes asphalt producers, Roads and Traffic

Authority representatives as well as slagproducers. Geoff Youdale (former GeneralManager R&D - RTA) was engaged as thetechnical editor for the guide and hasproduced an initial draft from theinformation provided to date and has writtensome sections. We are indeed fortunate tohave Geoff involved as he is very respected inthe Roads Industry.

It is anticipated that the draft guide willbe finished this year. At this timeendorsement will be sought from RTA, VICRoads and the Australasian AsphaltPavement Association. A release in early1999 is the goal. Please contact BruceFenton of ASMS if you would like anyfurther information on 02 4255 1142. C

Committee Reports cont...

“Guide to the Use of Steel Furnace Slag inAsphalt and Thin Bituminous Surfacings”

Independent Cement and Lime (ICL) hasrecently proposed a new development forWollongong, a Slag and CementitiousProducts Terminal using ground slag blendedwith other cementitious materials to createspecialised cements for various constructionpurposes.

Included in the terminal will beprovisions for blending both bulk andbagged products for use in the constructionand DIY markets in NSW.

Within the proposal it is estimated thatup to 50% of raw materials could be slagproducts. The company is most conscious of

the benefits of using slag products both froman environmental and commercial viewpoint.

Reduced slag stockpiles and land-fillrequirements are seen as major benefits for theregion. The operation increases market accessto determine sources of cementitiousproducts. The macro-environment will likelybenefit from a reduction in quarrying for rawmaterials for Portland Cement and acorresponding reduction in energyconsumption as a result of further substitutionof ground slag for Portland Cement.

This development located in anestablished industrial area provides several

New Slag Cement processing terminalfor Port Kembla.

Name

Position

Organisation

Mailing Address City P/Code

Telephone Facsimile

Email address

Design: In-House Graphics(NSW)©98 ASA

I received connections via a third party, please:

nnnn Add me to your mailing list nnnn Send me only electronic copies via email nnnn Send me hard copies only

I WISH TO PURCHASE: nnnn ASA Video @ $15.00 x _____ Qty nnnn ASA Compendium @ $15.00 x _____ Qty

Business Category (please tick 3)

nnnn Producer

nnnn Processor

nnnn Materials handler

nnnn Refining/value adding

nnnn Industry supplier

nnnn Specifier/Engineer

nnnn Government agency

nnnn Other

Subscription: Connections

continued from page 5

CONNECTIONS

EDITORIAL

Connections is published by ASA

The Australasian Slag Association

Wollongong NSW 2500 Australia

Telephone: 02 4225 8466

Facsimile: 02 4229 8901

Email: useslag@asa-inc.org.au

Web: www.asa-inc.org.au

Publisher: ASA

Bus. Development Manager Craig Heidrich

Contributors: ANI, ASMS, BHP

Cleary Bros (Bombo)

DPWS, ICL

John Finlay Eng.

METSERV

NS Komatsu

Connections

POSTAGEPAID

AUSTRALIA

If undelivered please return to:PO Box 1194Wollongong NSW 2500 Australia

Printed on Recycled Paper

Views expressed in the Connections newsletter do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the ASA. Allcontributions are welcomed, though the publisher reserves the right to decline to publish or to edit for style,grammar, length and legal reasons.*Internet references in articles, stories and advertising were correct at the time of printing. The ASA doesnot accept responsibility for misleading views.

environmentally beneficial features.Firstly, increasing market access toalternative materials will result inreduced slag stockpiles for the region.Another is this clean and quiet operationwill lower the average intensity ofindustrial impact to the area. Yet anotheris the macro-environment will benefitfrom the reduction in quarrying for rawmaterials for Portland Cement and a

reduction in energy consumption, as aresult of substitution of ground slag forPortland cement.

This investment by ICL demonstratesthe enormous commitment and belief thecompany holds in slag materials, inparticular the benefits to theenvironment and wider community fromeffective utilisation of this valuable,renewable resource. C