Steel is an incredibly useful material that is used in a multitude of applications. In fact, it is estimated that 55 percent of the average vehicle is made of steel. The alloy used to make it determines its versatility, as they impact the material’s durability, strength and performance. For instance, the method that manufacturers cool the metal can have a significant effect on its microstructure and thus its overall properties. It is possible to manipulate it to obtain specific properties like machinability, yielding strength, and resistance to corrosion.

In its simplest form it is iron that has been alloyed with various elements to improve its physical properties and make it appropriate for particular uses. The proportions of additional alloying elements determines the category of steel a particular steel belongs to and the overall performance in various applications.

For example stainless is composed of at least 11% chrome. This makes it look what i found impervious against corrosion. This characteristic is what makes it ideal for a broad range of uses, including kitchen utensils and cutlery. Tool steel is a popular choice because of its hardness and resistance to scratching. It is also used to machine dies and hand tools. Furthermore, the high ductility and weldability of carbon steels make them suitable for a variety of applications. Electrical steel on the other hand is one of the most specialized grades of steel that has silicon (typically around 3%). This improves its magnetic properties and reduces the loss of eddy current, making it great for transformer cores and electric motor laminations.