Steel is not one chemical element, but two: iron and carbon. When smelting iron ore in the blast furnace receive iron alloy with carbon which at this production phase steel is not yet.
Instruction
1. Receiving steel requires burning out of excess carbon as after domain melting receive cast iron, in which carbon from 2.14 to 6.67%. Steel contains from 0.2 to 2.14% of carbon. Such level of carbon in the martin furnace or in the converter where the chemical reactions peculiar to receiving alloy of iron with carbon proceed is reached.
2. Carbon steels are low-carbon, they are used in production of grids, a thin-sheet hire. High carbon steel goes for production of the tool, blades, so it stronger in comparison with low-carbon. The carbon content in alloy is higher, the hardness is higher, but the impact strength and plasticity is lower. And high-carbon alloy perfectly maintains dynamic loads, is practically not subject to oxidation, wearproof and easy. Make of it details of cars, coppers, turbines, pipes, that is all those components that are exposed to high loadings in use.
3. Alloyed did not become subject to corrosion, these are so-called stainless steels. In the course of smelting the alloying elements, such as chrome, manganese, tungsten, molybdenum, aluminum, and many others are added to alloy iron-carbon. Each element reports to steel any new quality before not peculiar to it. The alloying elements are responsible for a crystal lattice of alloy, support its structure, reporting to alloy the increased hardness, durability, refractoriness. With addition of vanadium, tungsten and chrome receive quick cutting steel which has very high temperature stability. It goes for production of the cutting tool, such as drills, brace bits, taps, detachable cutters, etc.
4. Except alloying, chemical coverings, such as chromium plating, galvanizing are applied to improvement of qualities of steel. Unlike alloying when additional substances are used in the course of smelting of steel, the coverings are put over a ready detail. So the galvanized pipes nickelized, chromeplated become. Coverings are applied on details in special galvanic bathtubs, an electrochemical or chemical way. Details for processing plunge at the same time into special solution.