Types of Steel Materials and Their Uses

Steel is an incredibly useful material that is used in a wide variety of applications. Steel is a component in over 55% of vehicles. Its flexibility is determined by the type of alloy elements that are used to make it since these factors affect the overall strength as well as durability and performance. The method by which the metal is cooled can have an impact on its microstructure, and consequently its overall properties. It is also manipulated to obtain specific characteristics such as machinability, yield strength, and resistance to corrosion.

In its simplest form, steel is iron that has been alloyed with various elements to enhance its physical properties and make it appropriate for specific applications. The proportions of the additional alloying elements determines which category of steel a particular steel is part of and its thermally and acoustically insulated steel cells overall performance in different applications.

For instance stainless is composed of a minimum of 11 percent chromium. This makes it impervious against corrosion. This makes it perfect for a variety of purposes like kitchen utensils or cutlery. Tool steel, meanwhile, has an exceptionally high resistance to abrasion and hardness that makes it a preferred material for hand machines and tools. Furthermore, the high ductility and weldability of carbon steels makes them ideal for a broad array of applications. Electrical steel is a special steel grade that is composed of silicon (typically around 3%) This increases its magnetic properties, and reduces eddy-current losses. It is therefore ideal for laminations and transformer cores of electric motors.