KB News Desk
POSCO recently developed a lightweight pad for takeoffs and landings at vertiports.
A vertiport refers to an airport for vertical takeoff and landing of small and automated aircraft carrying passengers or cargo at low altitudes in urban and suburban areas.
Since most vertiports are installed on top of skyscrapers, their pads should be light and shock-resistant to endure repeated takeoffs and landings of aircrafts.
POSCO made its pad with corrugated metal sheeting called form deck, which is much lighter and corrosion-resistant than conventional helipads made with road deck panels.
During a month-long demonstration done in June by Lotte E&C at the Goheung Aviation Test Center in South Jeolla Province for the construction firm’s urban air mobility (UAM) project, POSCO’s pad was not deformed by repeated use, according to the steelmaker.
POSCO emphasized that its pad is modular and does not need concreting, enabling easier assembly and disassembly.
The steelmaker said that three workers with a forklift were able to install a prefabricated modular pad within eight hours for Lotte E&C’s demonstration and disassembled the pad within two hours after the test.
“Our pad for vertiports is better than other pads made with aluminum or other materials, in terms of price and efficiency,” a POSCO official said.
“We will lead the infrastructure market in the future through the continuous development of lightweight steel materials and steel structure technology suitable for UAM.”
Last year, POSCO signed a memorandum of understanding with Korea Airports Corp. and Hanwha Corp. E&C Division for the joint development of vertiport technologies.
The three will announce their achievements next week during the World Smart City Expo 2024 in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.
