8. Conclusion

Steel is an enduring material, whose use transcends the technological epistemes that have succeeded one another since prehistoric times, a sign of exceptional historical robustness. It is the broadest class of materials available to designers and engineers today. Its current state of development, which covers both steel materials and the way they are produced in steelworks, is the result of a cumulative process in which practices, know-how and then scientific and technical knowledge have been aggregated to form today's steel industry. Steel is both a key technology and a key material, in the same way as other elements of technology that Europe considers essential to the health of its economy and its future (key technologies, Key Enabling Technology, advanced material).

Steel is the third most widely used material in the world, after cement (in concrete) and wood....