Metallurgy, Properties,

and Uses of Ferrous

Metals and Alloys III

The Alloy Steels and Cast

Irons

Function of Alloy Elements in Steel

To increase hardenability.
To increase resistance to softening on
tempering.
To increase resistance to corrosion.
To improve high temperature
properties.
To increase resistance to abrasion.
To strengthen ferrite.

The alloying elements produce these

changes in the characteristics of steel in
various ways. An increase of hardenability,
the decrease in the rate of transformation is
associated w/ the rate of diffusion of carbon
and the alloying elements. Any change in
the rate of diffusion will influence the
amount of softening on tempering, since the
softening depends on the degree on
precipitation and coalescence of the phases.

Designations for Steel

The Society of Automotive Engineers

(SAE) and American Iron and Steel
Institute (AISI) established a series of
specifications covering some of the
alloy steels, which are designated by
numbers. One point of carbon is
equal to 0.01 percent.

The first figure refers to the type of

alloy

Carbon
Nickel
Nickel-chrome
Molybdenum
Chromium
Chromium-vanadium
Tungsten
Nickel-chromium-molybdenum
Silicomanganese

The next figure refers to the series

w/in that alloy group.

Last two figures refers to the points

of carbon in the steel.

Nickel

Nickel is one of the first alloy steels to be

developed. It increased the strength and
toughness of the steel. These steels which are
very important, contains from 2 to 5 per cent
nickel and from 0.10 to 0.50 per cent. Nickel
contributes great strength and hardness, w/
high elastic limit and good ductility.
Steels containing from 12 to 21 per cent nickel
and about 0.10 per cent carbon have a good
strength and toughness, and extremely good
resistance to corrosion

Stainless steel containing 36 per cent nickel is

used for surveyors tapes and other
instruments because of its low coefficient of
expansion.
Nickel steels containing from 2 to 5 per cent
nickel are used for machine parts. A structural
steel containing 3.5 per cent nickel will have
high elastic and endurance limits. Steels
containing larger amounts of nickel are used
for stainless steels, Invar, and others.

Chromium

It is used in steels as an alloying element

to combine hardness obtained by
quenching w/ high strength and high
elastic limit.
The most common chrome steels contains
from 0.50 to 2.0 per cent chromium and
from 0.10 to 1.50 per cent carbon.
The special chrome steels of the stainless
variety contain from 11 to 17 per cent
chromium.

To develop the maximum hardness, chromium

steels must de quenched from well above
critical temperature; that is, from 1800 F 1900
F for machinery steel.
The tensile strength and yield point increase
rapidly, and the ductility decreases, as the
carbon content decreases.
Chrome steels , when quenched and tempered
at about 1200 F, have about double the tensile
strength, triple the yield point, and have the
ductility to the corresponding annealed steel.

The greatest use of chromium steel is in

the manufacture of high grade balls,
rollers, and races for bearings; and armorpiercing projectiles and armor plates. It is
also used for tools, dies, gears, safes, and
vaults.
High chromium steels are used to resist
corrosion, to impart greater wearresistance, and to increase the creep
strength for high-temperature service.

Manganese

Manganese steel usually contains from 11 to

14 per cent manganese and from 0.8 to 1.5
per cent carbon, and possesses a
combination of extreme hardness and
ductility, acquired by quenching the steel in
water, from 1800 F.
Manganese steel in the quenched condition is
austenitic; if it is cooled slowly the carbides
are precipitated by the grain boundaries. The
steel tends to become martensitic and
correspondingly brittle.

The tensile strength of water-quenched

steels containing more than 7 per cent
manganese increases rapidly with
increasing amount of manganese and
reaches a maximum of about 140,000 lb/in.
with 13 to 14 per cent manganese. The
elongation of 7 per cent manganese steel is
about 1.5 per cent in 8 in., and increases
with larger amounts of manganese to a
maximum elongation of about 50 per cent
in 8 in with 13 to 14 per cent manganese.

The elastic limit of these manganese

steels is very low in proportion to the
tensile strength, being only about 35 to
40 per cent of the tensile strength. The
principal use of manganese steel is in
machinery parts subject to severe wear,
as in crushing and grinding machinery.
Also it is extensively used in railroad
equipment for frogs, switches, crossings,
and curve rails.

Tungsten

It is usually employed in conjunction

with other elements in alloy steel. Steels
containing 3 to 18 per cent tungsten
and from 0.2 to 1.5 per cent carbon are
used for dies and cutting tools.
Those steels with high tungsten content
have the property of retaining their
hardness when hot, after being
quenched from a high temperature.

Steels containing 4 to 5 per cent

tungsten and 0.5 to 0.7 per cent
carbon display very high magnetic
reluctance, which makes them
valuable in the construction of
permanent magnets.
The tensile strength and elastic limit
of steel reach a minimum of 10 to
12 per cent tungsten; with more
tungsten, these properties
decrease.

Tungsten steel principally use for

cutting tools, dies, valves, taps and
permanent magnets.

Molybdenum

The action of molybdenum in tool steel is very

similar to tungsten in altering the critical
points, hardening power and physical
properties, and a given percentage of
molybdenum can be used to replace an even
larger of tungsten.
Molybdenum is used in connection with
chromium in producing chrome-molybdenum
steel, w/c has very good strength properties,
especially resistance to repeated stress.

The chrome-molybdenum steels

contain about 0.20 per cent
molybdenum. They increase
machinability for the same hardness,
and they also increase the depth of
hardness penetration when the steel
is quenched.

Vanadium

Vanadium in amounts of 0.20 per

cent, produces a marked increase in
tensile strength and elastic limit in
low- and medium- carbon steels w/o
a corresponding loss of ductility.
It has also a property of assisting in
the degasification of steel in the
molten state, preventing the
occlusion of gases in castings.

The structure of carbon vanadium steels

is finer than that of plain carbon steels.
Chrome vanadium steels usually contain
about 0.5 to 1.5 per cent chromium, 0.15
to 0.30 per cent vanadium, and 0.15 to
1.10 per cent carbon. They have
extremely good tensile strength, elastic
limit, endurance limit and ductility. These
steels are used extensively for machinery.

Casting, forgings, parts such as

springs, shafting, gears, pins, and
steering knuckles, and many dropforged parts are made of chromevanadium steel.

Silicon

Silicon steels contain from 1 to 2 per cent

silicon and 0.1 to 0.4 per cent carbon,
and resemble nickel steels very closely.
These steels have a high elastic limit as
compared to ordinary carbon steel.
A steel containing 3 per cent silicon, with
the smallest possible amounts of carbon
and impurities, has been employed with
great success for electrical machinery.

Steels containing 5 to 18 per cent

chromium, 1 to 2 per cent silicon, and
0.10 to 1.1 per cent carbon are
sometimes employed to resist
corrosion.
A steel containing less than 1 per
cent manganese, about 2 per cent
silicon, and 0.4 to 0.6 per cent carbon
is used extensively for springs
because its elastic limit is very high.

Chrome-Nickel

It is one of the most important groups

of alloy steel. These alloys carry from
0.30 to 2.0 per cent chromium, from
1.0 to 4.0 per cent nickel, and from
0.10 per cent carbon. When heat
treated, they acquired greatly
increased tensile strength, elastic
limit and endurance limit, together
with toughness and ductility.

The structure of alloys of this group is

about the same as that of plain nickel
steel, except for the presence of
chromium carbide.
The principal uses of this steels are in
the manufacture of gears, forged,
axles, crankshafts, propeller shafts,
connecting rods, and machine parts
generally.

A very important steel in the chromenickel series contains from 16 to 19

per cent chromium, 7 to 10 per cent
nickel, and less than 0.15 per cent
carbon. This steel is austenitic at all
temperatures. Its physical properties
can be altered only by cold working.
One of these steels is commonly
called 18-8 stainless steel.

Selection and Properties

of Alloy Steel

The selection of alloy steel for any

given requirement depends primarily
upon their characteristics and their
prices. The latter factor is important
because, under certain conditioned, it
may be more economical to use more
steel having lower physical properties
than the smaller amount of a more
expensive steel.

Lightness is an important factor,

where the quenched and tempered
alloy steel serves as a very useful
purpose. Often several steels may
satisfy the requirements, in w/c case
the least expensive one is selected.

In selecting of alloy steel other

factors must be taken into account
such as follows:
Machinability
Sensitiveness to the heat treatment
operation
Ability to harden a fair depth, w/c is
especially important where large
pieces are to be heat-treated.

One of the most desirable properties is

uniformity of structure and of mechanical
properties. Some alloy steels seem to
have a narrower range of variability than
others when heat-treated to give a
desired set of properties. The selection of
alloy steel is best suited to meet a given
set of conditions is a matter requiring
considerable experience and sound
engineering judgment.

Alloy Cast Iron

Using the elements nickel, chromium,

molybdenum, and vanadium, is
cheaper than cast steel and in many
cases may be better suited to the
purpose. These elements are used
either singly or in combination and
they influence the structure and
properties of the cast iron in much
the same way as they affect steel.

Nickel acts like silicon to promote

graphitization, and is also produces a
finer graphitic structure.
Automobile cylinders, pistons, rings,
brake drums, forging dies, valves and
a great variety of other products are
being made of alloy cast iron. This
materials can also be heat-treated to
improve its properties.