Steel is a remarkably useful material that is utilized in a multitude of applications. Steel is utilized in over 55% of cars. Its flexibility is determined by the kind of alloy elements that are employed to create it, because these elements impact the overall strength as well as durability and performance. The way in which the metal is cooled has significant effects on its microstructure and therefore, its overall properties. It can also be 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 suitable for particular uses. The proportions of these additional alloying elements determine what class of steel it is ascribed to, and get more thereby its overall performance in different applications.
For example stainless is composed of a minimum of 11 percent chromium. This makes it invulnerable against corrosion. This is what makes it suitable for a variety of uses, including kitchen utensils and cutlery. Tool steel, on the other hand is characterized by an extremely high resistance to abrasion and hardness that makes it a preferred material for hand machines and tools. Furthermore, the high weldability and ductility of carbon steels make them suitable for a range of applications. Electrical steel is on the other hand, is an example of an extremely specialized grade of steel that is composed of silicon (typically about 3%). This increases its magnetic properties and decreases the loss of eddy-current. This makes it ideal for transformer cores and laminations of electric motors.
