Steel is the general name of iron-carbon alloy with carbon content of 0.02%-2. 1 1%. The chemical composition of steel varies greatly. Steel containing only carbon element is called carbon steel (carbon steel) or ordinary steel. In actual production, steel often contains different alloying elements, such as manganese, nickel and vanadium, according to different uses. The application and research of steel has a long history, but before the invention of bainite steelmaking in the19th century, the production of steel was a high-cost and inefficient work. Nowadays, steel has become one of the most used materials in the world because of its low price and reliable performance, and it is an indispensable part of architecture, manufacturing and people's daily life. It can be said that steel is the material basis of modern society.

People's Republic of China (PRC) national standard GB/T 13304-9 1 describes: "Materials with iron as the main element, carbon content generally below 2% and other elements." In general, it refers to other steels except chromium steel, and the carbon content of some chromium steels is allowed to be greater than 2%. Ferroalloy containing more than 2% carbon is cast iron. In other international standards, such as ISO 4948 or EN 10020, the definition of steel is similar.

Strictly speaking, steel is an iron-carbon alloy with a carbon content of 0.0218%-2.11[1]%. We usually call it steel together with iron. In order to ensure its toughness and plasticity, the carbon content generally does not exceed 1.7%. Besides iron and carbon, the main elements of steel are silicon, manganese, sulfur and phosphorus. Other components are used to make the properties of steel different. The following is an alphabetical list of important steels, including the following components, and their functions and characteristics are introduced together:

Carbon (carbon)

It exists in all steels and is the most important hardening element. This helps to increase the strength of steel. We usually hope that the carbon content of tool-grade steel is above 0.6%, which is also called high carbon steel.

Chromium (Cr)

Increase wear resistance, hardness and, most importantly, corrosion resistance. More than 13% is considered as stainless steel. Let's just say, but if we don't stick to it,

make steel

When, all steel will rust.

Manganese (manganese)

An important austenite stabilizing element, which helps to generate texture structure, increase firmness and strength and wear resistance. The steel is deoxidized during heat treatment and rolling. Except for A-2, L-6 and CPM 420V, most steel used for knife and scissors is deoxidized.

Molybdenum (molybdenum)

Carbonizing agent appears in many steels, which prevents steel from becoming brittle and maintains its strength at high temperature. Air-hardened steels (such as A-2 and ATS-34) usually contain 1% or more molybdenum, so they can be hardened in air.

nickel

Maintain strength, corrosion resistance and toughness. Appears in L-6\AUS-6 and AUS-8.

Silicon (silicon)

Help to strengthen strength. Like manganese, silicon is used to maintain the strength of steel during production.

Tungsten (tungsten)

Enhance wear resistance. Tungsten is mixed with appropriate proportion of chromium or manganese to make high-speed steel. High speed steel M-2 contains a lot of tungsten.

Vanadium (vanadium)

Enhance wear resistance and ductility. Vanadium is contained in many kinds of steels, among which M-2, Vascowear, CPM T440V and 420VA contain a large amount of vanadium. The biggest difference between BG-42 and ATS-34 is that the former contains vanadium.

Phosphorus (phosphorus)

It is a harmful element, which reduces the plasticity and toughness of steel and causes cold brittleness, which can significantly improve the strength of steel and improve the atmospheric corrosion stability. The content should be limited below 0.05%.

Sulfur (sulfur)

Usually, sulfur is a harmful element, which makes steel brittle, and its content is limited below 0.05%. But the sulfur content of free-cutting steel is high, which can reach 0.08%~0.40%.

Steel refers to iron-carbon alloy with carbon content less than 2%. It can be divided into carbon steel and alloy steel according to different compositions. According to different properties and uses, it can be divided into structural steel, tool steel and special performance steel.

According to chemical composition:

(1) carbon steel carbon steel refers to an iron-carbon alloy containing a small amount of elements such as manganese, silicon, sulfur and phosphorus in addition to iron and carbon.

Can be divided into:

1) low carbon steel-carbon content wc≤0.25%

2) Medium carbon steel-carbon content WC 0.25% ~ 0.60%.

3) high carbon steel-carbon content WC >100%; 0.60% high carbon steel is generally used in military industry and industrial medical industry.

(2) Alloy steel

In order to improve the properties of steel, on the basis of smelting carbon steel, some alloying elements are added to steel, such as chromium steel, manganese steel, chromium manganese steel, chromium nickel steel and so on. According to the total content of alloy elements, it can be divided into: 1) low alloy steel-total content of alloy elements ≤5% 2) medium alloy steel-total content of alloy elements ~ 10% 3) high alloy steel-total content of alloy elements >:10%.

I hope it can help you solve the problem.