Chemical elements and introduction

(1) Carbon; the higher the carbon content, the higher the hardness, but the worse its plasticity and toughness.

(2) Sulfur; it is harmful debris in steel. Steel with high sulfur content is easy to be brittle when it is processed at high temperature under pressure, usually called thermal brittleness.

(3) Phosphorus; can significantly reduce the plasticity and toughness of steel, especially at low temperatures, this phenomenon is called cold brittleness. In high-quality steel, sulfur and phosphorus should be strictly controlled. But from another aspect, the low-carbon steel contains high sulfur and phosphorus, which can make it easy to cut, which is beneficial to improve the machinability of the steel.

(4) Manganese; can improve the strength of steel, weaken and eliminate the adverse effects of sulfur, and can improve the hardenability of steel. High alloy steel with high manganese content (high manganese steel) has good wear resistance And other physical properties.

(5) Silicon; it can increase the hardness of steel, but the plasticity and toughness decrease, and the steel used in electrical engineering contains a certain amount of silicon, which can improve the soft magnetic properties.

(6) Tungsten; can improve the red hardness and thermal strength of steel, and can improve the wear resistance of steel.

(7) Chromium; can improve the hardenability and wear resistance of steel, can improve the corrosion resistance and oxidation resistance of steel.

(8) Vanadium; can refine the grain structure of steel and improve the strength, toughness and wear resistance of steel. When it melts into austenite at high temperature, it can increase the hardenability of steel; conversely, when it exists in the form of carbide, it will reduce its hardenability.

(9) Molybdenum; it can obviously improve the hardenability and thermal strength of steel, prevent temper brittleness, and improve the remanence and coercive force.

(10) Titanium; can refine the grain structure of steel, thereby improving the strength and toughness of steel. In stainless steel, titanium can eliminate or reduce the intergranular corrosion of steel.

(11) Nickel; can improve the strength and toughness of steel and improve the hardenability. When the content is high, it can significantly change some physical properties of steel and alloy and improve the corrosion resistance of steel.

(12) Boron; when the steel contains a small amount of (0.001-0.005%) boron, the hardenability of the steel can be doubled.

(13) Aluminum; can refine the grain structure of steel and inhibit the aging of low-carbon steel. Improving the toughness of steel at low temperatures can also improve the oxidation resistance of steel, improve the wear resistance and fatigue strength of steel.

(14) Copper; its outstanding function is to improve the atmospheric corrosion resistance of ordinary low alloy steel, especially when used in combination with phosphorus.