In 1967, 500 million tons of steel were produced; by 2016, the figure had grown to over 1.6 billion. Steel is a widely used material all around the world, found in dozens of ordinary objects in our daily lives, such as cutlery or screws.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
There are about 35,000 types of steel, each with its own applications and uses. In this post, we will focus on carbon steels.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Steel <\/strong>is a material that widely used in various types of manufactures thanks to its mechanical properties such as strength, ductility, malleability, hardness, etc. It is an alloy of a metal \u2014iron\u2014 and carbon. The branch of metallurgy that works with steel is known as siderurgy<\/em>. In general, all grades of steel are composed of two elements: iron and carbon.<\/strong> Those known as “carbon steels” account for about 90% of steel grades. The difference between carbon steels and the others begins when additional elements are added to modify the properties. For example, manganese and phosphorus determine a steel\u2019s durability and strength.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n How is steel different from iron?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Depending on the alloying element or elements added to the iron, numerous types of steel <\/strong>can be obtained. Within this variety, carbon steels are those in which carbon is the only alloying element <\/strong>or, if they contain other elements, these are found in low concentrations. The percentage of carbon is fundamental to defining their mechanical properties.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Increasing carbon creates changes in the metal\u2019s structure and mechanical properties: <\/strong>it becomes harder and stronger, and its ductility, weldability and elongability are reduced.What is steel?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The reason that it has been used for thousands of years and that it has so many applications is that its basic elelments can be easily found in the earth’s crust. <\/strong>If a ranking were made of the most abundant materials on our planet, iron would be number 14; if the ranking were of the materials found in the universe, it would occupy fourth place, as it is also abundant in stars.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Carbon steel: definition and types<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Within the composition of carbon steels, there are other elements such as silicon or manganese that are essential to the composition, and others that have been called “impurities” because it is difficult to exclude them completely, such as sulfur, oxygen or hydrogen.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n