POSCO's steel H-beam gets highest certification for seismic resistance

POS-H, an H-beam or steel beam made of rolled steel in the shape of the letter "H," of South Korean steelmaker POSCO’s premium brand of steel construction materials Innovilt has received the nation's highest certification for seismic resistance up to a quake of magnitude 7.0.

The steelmaker on Thursday said the Korean Society of Steel Construction on April 28 certified POS-H as a "special moment frame" with the highest seismic resistance for use in a beam and column frame 1,500 mm high. Receiving the same certification in 2020 for a frame 1,000 mm tall, POSCO has secured its latest for a taller building.

"Considering that the US certifies as a special moment frame a beam of up to 1,400 mm tall, this verifies our anti-quake performance for the world's highest beam height," a company source said. "Negotiations are underway to apply POS-H to large building projects at home and abroad."

The construction trend of larger buildings has led to a wider distance between columns and higher use of materials. By applying its certified special moment frame to a building, POSCO can cut the volume of structural components up to 30% from that of a general moment frame without earthquake resistance.

Write to Hyung-Kyu Kim at khk@hankyung.com