42 Astonishing Steel Facts That Will Blow Your Mind
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Do you know about the abundantly used alloys?
Alloys are materials that are made up of two or even more elements in the form of a solution or a compound. Usually, alloys are made by mixing ingredients together in the melted form.
Usually, alloys have the main component, which is the metal themselves, but sometimes other components also are essential for the formation of alloy. Since olden times, we have appreciated the importance of alloys like bronze and brass.
Properties Of Steel
Steel is the main material of alloys used in the world. It is made up of specific amounts of carbon and iron atoms mixed together. Let's look at the five main properties of steel below!
One of the main properties of steel is its hardness.
This means that steel is able to withstand abrasion as well as friction.
Hardness is different from the metal properties known as toughness and strength.
Steel also has the property of toughness, which is its ability to take in energy whilst not rupturing or fracturing.
Toughness can also be said to be the ability of the metal to resist any fracture when put under pressure.
Hardness and toughness are important to be known as separate properties as a metal can be tough as it doesn't break, but it's not hard as it bends.
The toughness of metal can be measured in terms of Joules per sq. cm as well as ft-lbs. per sq. in.
Another important measurement of force in steel is the yield strength which can tell us about the exact amount of force required for us to start deforming a metal.
The tensile strength is another very important property of steel that tells us the force that we require to completely break the material.
Elongation is a property of a metal that steel possess, which is important to inform us about the length of the metal being tested.
This is between yield strength and tensile strength.
Elongation can also be called as ductility of a metal, which is the amount to which material, here steel, can be compressed or stretched before it starts to break.
Types Of Steel
Alloys are made up of different materials to increase some of the qualities that we desire in our material. There are many different types of alloys. Let's learn about some types of steel!
One of the most used steel is carbon steel which is almost a matte-looking steel that might be corroded.
There are different types of carbon steel available in the market, like medium, low, and high carbon steel.
It's called carbon steel as it contains more carbon than any other element in the alloy.
Carbon steel is known to be very strong, and hence it is often used in the manufacturing of automotive parts, weapons, and high tension wires.
Alloy steels are a mix of different types of metals like copper, nickel as well as aluminum.
This type of alloy is low-cost, and million tons of steel are produced for different purposes.
They are better against any corrosion hence used in the shipping industry, pipelines, mechanical parts for cars, or engines of cars.
Another type of steel is tool steel which is especially known for being scrape and heat resistant along with being hard.
The tool steel industry is used in the manufacturing of tools like hammers or nails.
It is made up of molybdenum, tungsten as well as cobalt which is where this steel gets its durability from.
One of the most important and commonly used steel is stainless steel.
Stainless steel products are very commonly used on household items, including plates, spoons, and cooking pans.
Uses Of Steel
Alloys have a number of applications because of which they are so widely used! They are used in the construction, shipping industries, and automotive industry.
Steel has great amounts of durability and is also known to be sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Steel also has the unique property of being magnetic, which makes it easier to be picked apart from other materials for recycling purposes.
The ability of steel to be molded and elongated has proven useful in making weapons by giving them a desirable edge and shape.
In the general manufacturing sectors as well and in the engineering industry (steel industry), engineering steels are an important component.
Automobile industries use steel production material in heavy amounts.
In the production of a car body, engine, suspensions, doors as well as the interior.
As much as 50% of the car that we all use and know is made up of components made out of steel metal.
One of the fun facts about steel is that it is known to reduce CO2 emissions in the atmosphere- in addition to being a recycled material!
One of the amazing steel facts is that almost every type of energy sector has a high demand for steel.
This sector needs resource extraction or even infrastructure for industrial goods.
Stainless steel is used to make offshore pipelines as well as platforms.
Fun Facts About Steel
Steel grading is a way of finding the quality and consistency of the material. Such grading technique is used by many scientists, engineers, and architects to make sure they are using the correct steel for their purposes.
It is one of the well-known steel facts that steel is one of the most recycled materials in the whole world and used by millions of people in their day-to-day life.
The American Iron and Steel Institute has shown an estimation that around 88% of the steel and iron in the world is recycled materials.
For every ton of recycled steel, around 1,400 lbs (635.02 kg) of coal, 2,500 lbs (1133.98 kg) of pure iron ore are saved!
When recycled, steel is able to retain the strength that it previously had, which can be estimated to be 1000 times stronger than the strength of pure iron.
In the making of wind power turbines or even solar equipment, we require steel, making it one of the most important materials on the planet.
Some of the most popular skyscrapers made with the use of steel are the U.S. Steel Tower in Pittsburgh and also the Empire State Building residing in New York.
Such buildings are specially designed so that we can disassemble and assemble them in pieces for ease of use and construction using metals production.
Steel is also known to be the second largest industry in the entire world, just behind gas and oil.
Being a huge and commonly used resource, the steel industry employs more than two million people worldwide, and this number increases every year!
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