INVESTIGATING THE VIABILITY OF AS-ROLLED STEEL VIA RECYCLING OF STEEL SCRAP FOR CONSTRUCTION IN NIGERIA

Abstract

A sustainable iron and steel sector has for a long time been the objective of the Nigerian government, but since the failure in the complete installation of the Ajaokuta steel complex, Nigeria has had to opt for steel recycled from scrap. In an endeavour to ascertain the viability of steels produced locally in Nigeria, six 12 mm diameter steel bars designated for construction were gotten from the market, each from different company in Nigeria. The steels gotten were analysed for chemical composition, microstructure, tensile strength, ductility and hardness and the result produced were benchmarked against the specification of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON). The result produced shows that steel from neither company A,B,C and E was qualified to be in Nigeria market, as steel from company A, C and E failed because it had a yield strength of 386 Mpa, 410.77 MPa and 391.27 MPa respectively as against the 420 Mpa stipulated by SON and steel from company B was completely brittle. While steel from company D and F was fit to be in the market as it met the minimum yield strength requirement by possessing 582.88 MPa and 457.26 MPa respectively.