Steel U8: characteristics, application, interpretation

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

The characteristics of U8 steel, as well as other grades of tool type, are due to the fact that the composition contains such a substance as carbon. The main difference of this material from other alloys is that such parameters as wear resistance, strength and hardness are at a higher level.

Material marking

Before we turn to the consideration of U8 steel marking, it is worth noting that each state has its own standards and the same material can be designated in different ways. As for the Russian Federation, the GOST indicates the U8 marking. It is also worth noting that there is a slightly modified composition, which is designated as U8A.

1. The first thing that goes in the description is the letter "U". It only indicates that the steel belongs to the tool class. It does not indicate the content of any substance or component.
2. The number, in this case 8, will indicate the concentration of the base substance in this steel class. The main substance is carbon, and its content is indicated in tenths of a percent. That is, in U8 steel, the contentcarbon 0.8%. Neither more nor less.
3. As for the modified type of U8A steel, everything is quite simple. The presence of the letter "A" is only a general designation, which indicates that some harmful impurities were removed from the composition, which made it possible to slightly improve the quality of the original substance.

Additions

It is important to add here that there are no other designations in the marking. However, the chemical composition of steel provides for the presence of many other components. For example, this includes substances such as silicon and manganese. In addition, some harmful impurities are also present in the structure. Among them, for example, phosphorus and sulfur can be distinguished as the most common. Naturally, the quality of steel will directly depend on the concentration of these substances. The higher the content, the worse the performance of the material will be.

Substance summary

The characteristics of steel U8, like U8A, are most suitable for making various tools from it. That is why it belongs to the instrumental group. It should be noted right away that in the manufacture of this product, such a procedure as alloying is not carried out. The absence of this operation does not allow improving the required parameters, for example, hardness or strength, but at the same time it does not increase the price for the material, which is very important.

Product highlights

U8 steel has the following main parameters:

1. As mentioned earlier - a high indicator of strength and hardness. This is necessary so that the manufactured tools can serve for a long time without additional sharpening operations.
2. Heat resistance. During any mechanical processing, friction occurs, due to which the temperature of the material rises. If too fast and/or too strong heating of the steel occurs, this will lead to a deterioration in performance. There will be such a defect as an increase in plasticity and a rearrangement of the crystal lattice. Such a parameter as heat resistance determines the ability of steel to be subjected to any mechanical stress and at the same time not to heat up. If the material is still heated, then the steel will not lose its strength. As for U8 steel, this indicator is not too high.
3. Low susceptibility to sticking or welding. During processing, the feed rate, for example, can be quite high. This will cause different metals to interact with each other, and this in turn will cause sticking. Naturally, the quality of such steel will eventually deteriorate.
4. Another important parameter for U8 steel is crack resistance. Quite often, such a situation occurs that during machining the material is subjected to shock mechanical loads or strong vibration. If the resistance is too low, then this will cause the formation of microcracks in the structure of the material, which will lead tosignificant increase in brittleness.
5. The last characteristic is the viscosity level of the alloy. This parameter is very important for those steels from which objects subject to shock loads in the future will be made. Therefore, this parameter is very important for tool alloys.

Material application

Most often U8 steel according to GOST 2283-79 is used to obtain cutting surfaces of various tools. It is worth noting that this material resists temperature loads well. However, at the same time, it is still most often used for those elements that will not be heated during operation. Most often, steel is used to make chisels, chisels, saws, axes, hammers, etc. In other words, we can say that the main use of steel of this grade is the production of metalwork and assembly tools.

Material Composition

As mentioned earlier, the composition includes not only carbon. Almost 97% is Fe substance. This is followed by C - 0.76-0.83%. The content of such a substance as Si and Mn is 0.17-0.33%. In addition to these components, the structure also includes P, S, Ni. The content of these substances is quite small and does not exceed 0.25%. Here you can add that the hardening of U8 steel is carried out at a temperature of about 780-800 degrees Celsius. For release, ordinary water is used. The tempering temperature of the metal is approximately 240-270 degrees Celsius. Vacation time is allocated approximately 30-40 minutes.

Reviews about steel for the U8 knife are all quite positive. The owners claim that if the device is used correctly and not subjected to too strong shock loads, then it is able to serve for a long time. The steel itself is quite sharp and, if you do not cut substances that are characterized by a very dense structure, then the sharpness will remain for a long time.