Environmental life cycle assessment of hybrid steel construction featuring metal additive manufacturing
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Yang, Jiachi
Kyvelou, Pinelopi
Wadee, M Ahmer
Gardner, Leroy
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Hybrid manufacturing, featuring the addition of steel material onto hot-rolled structural steel members through direct energy deposition arc (DED-arc) – a type of metal additive manufacturing (AM) – has recently been demonstrated as a viable means to produce hybrid steel members with considerably enhanced structural performance and material efficiency. The enhanced performance stems from the optimised deposition location and/or the high strength of the DED-arc additions. This underscores its potential for reducing both the material consumption and the environmental impacts of steel construction, thereby improving overall sustainability. In the present study, the environmental impacts associated with the production of hybrid DED-arc-hot-rolled steel I-section beams are investigated through a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA), with beams making up approximately 70% of the mass of typical building structures. A unit-mass analysis was first conducted whereby unit mass (i.e., 1 kg) productions of hot-rolled and DED-arc steels were examined. The results of this unit-mass analysis were then used to evaluate the environmental impacts of a series of hybrid beam specimens investigated in previous experimental studies. Finally, a comprehensive parametric study, covering a wide range of I-section profiles and steel beam design scenarios, is presented. The findings demonstrate that the hybrid DED-arc-hot-rolling manufacturing strategy is capable of reducing the overall embodied carbon associated with steel beams by, on average, 11% and 14% for normal and high strength steel additions to S355 steel profiles, and up to approximately 40%, for some typical loading conditions. For S275 steel profiles, which are likely to feature prominently in retrofitting and re-use scenarios, the savings in embodied carbon are even greater, up to 45%.
Date Issued
2026-10-01
Date Acceptance
2026-08-15
Citation
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2026, 577
ISSN
0959-6526
Publisher
Elsevier
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Cleaner Production
Volume
577
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2026 Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is the author’s accepted manuscript made available under a CC-BY licence in accordance with Imperial’s Research Publications Open Access policy (www.imperial.ac.uk/oa-policy)
License URL
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
149229
Date Publish Online
2026-09-12