Vanadium in Steel and fall in iron ore, steel and coal price Is it possible that working stress increases provided by vanadium were not incorporated by the AISC, as the numerous structural shapes and various types of stresses were too voluminous and would impact their present design criteria.
Perhaps in other countries such increases were allowed including for rebar in concrete reinforcing.
My thinking – Increases in the working stresses by vanadium were mostly worldwide and decreased the weight of the steel and iron ore required. Thus demand for iron ore, coal, graphite used in smelters were lowered and not the result of the Global Economies which most news stories give as the reason for the fall in commodity prices.