Let's talk about structural steel

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The use of steel has long been widely included in our lives and no one doubts its expediency. However, we should not forget that steels are different. Today, several types of this material are distinguished:

1. Structural steel.
2. Tool steel.
3. Custom-purpose steel with special properties.

Let's talk today about structural steels. This is the name of all types that are used in the production of building structures, as well as parts of machines and mechanisms.

Types of material

Structural steel is divided into two large groups:

1. Quality structural alloy.
2. Quality structural carbon steel.

All these types are used in a particular area of production, performing the functions assigned to them.

Structural alloy steels

Quite often, various elements are added to steel to improve technological, physico-chemical, strength properties,

that is, dope it. Basically, for these purposes are usedchrome, nickel, manganese. Structural quality steels may contain one or more of these elements. In this regard, stand out:

• Low-alloyed (the number of additives is not more than 2.5%).
• Medium-alloyed (the figure can increase up to 10%).
• Highly alloyed (more than 10% of additional elements).

In order to understand how additives work, you need to understand the composition of the material. It is based on ferrite (approximately 90% of the volume). Alloying elements are dissolved in ferrite, thereby increasing its strength. Silicon, nickel and manganese are especially effective in this regard. But chromium, tungsten and molybdenum have a weaker effect.

It should be noted that alloyed structural steel is characterized by low weldability. This is due to the hardening of the near-weld zone and the formation of brittle structures in its composition. Therefore, the welding process uses special technologies developed individually for this type of steel.

Steel low-alloy construction is widely used for the production of locomotives, wagons, agricultural machinery. All these products are distinguished by their ability to withstand variable loads. The weldability parameters of such steel have no restrictions.

High-alloy steel is used to manufacture turbine blades and rotors, reactors, steam pipes and headers.

Structural carbon steel

The second variety is also presentedseveral kinds, such as:

• Engineering. Structural steel of this type is used in the manufacture of automobiles.
• Automatic. It is from this steel that various fasteners are made. It is in no way suitable for welding, all parts are machined.
• Boiler room. Indispensable when it comes to the manufacture of boilers and vessels that must withstand high temperatures. This steel has good weldability.

Structural steel is the material without which the manufacture of certain types of structures and parts becomes impossible.