TYPES OF ALLOY STEEL

Common Steel Alloys and Typical Uses

1010:
This is one of the most widely used low carbon steels for low strength applications. It is best suited for parts whose fabrication involves moderate to severe forming and some machining. Its weldability is excellent and it can be case hardened for wear resistance by cyaniding.

 1018:
Is a popular carburizing grade of steel. It can be strengthened by cold working or surface hardened by carburizing or cyaniding. It is relatively soft and has good weldability and formability.

 1020:
Is a general-purpose low-carbon mild steel. It is easy to fabricate by the usual methods such as mild cold or hot forming and welding. It is weldable by all processes and the resulting welds are of extremely high quality.

 4130:
This chromium-molybdenum alloy is one of the most widely used aircraft steels because of its combination of weldability, ease of fabrication and mild hardenability. In relatively thin sections, it may be heat treated to high strength levels. In the normalized condition it has adequate strength for many applications. It may be nitrided for resistance to wear and abrasion.

 4140:
This chromium-molybdenum alloy is a deep hardening steel used where strength and impact toughness are required. It has high fatigue strength making it suitable for critical stressed applications. It may be nitrided for increased re sis tance to wear and abrasion.

 4340:
This chromium-nickel-molybdenum alloy is a widely used deep hardening steel. It possesses remarkable ductility and toughness. With its high alloy con tent uniform hardness is developed by heat treatment in relatively heavy sections. Its high fatigue strength makes it ideal for highly stressed parts.

 6150:
This chromium-vanadium alloy steel is similar to 4340. It has good hardenability, good fatigue properties and excellent resistance to impact and abrasion.

 8620:
This is a triple alloy chromium-nickelmolybdenum steel. It is readily carburized. It may be heat treated to produce a strong, tough core and high case hardness. It has excellent machinability and responds well to polishing operations. It is easily welded by any of the common welding processes, although the section should be heated and stress relieved after welding.

 9310:

This chromium-nickel-molybdenum alloy is a carburizing steel capable of attaining high case hardness with high core strength. It has excellent toughness and ductility.

 4620:
This nickel-molybdenum alloy is a carburizing steel capable of developing high case hardness and core toughness. It can be forged similarly to the other carburizing grades. Because of its relatively high nickel content, it is not as readily cold-formed.

 5160: This carbon-chromium grade of spring steel has a high yield/ tensile strength ratio, excellent toughness and high ductility. It is very difficult to ma chine in the as-rolled condition and should be annealed prior to machining. It is not readily welded, but it can be welded by either the gas or arc welding proc esses if the section involved is preheated and stress relieved after welding.

 52100:
This high carbon-high chromium alloy is produced by the electric furnace process and then vacuum degassed to meet the rigid standards of the aircraft industry for bearing applications. It develops high hardness and has exceptional resistance to wear and abrasion.

The first two digits indicate the type of alloy according to alloying elements as follows:

13xx Manganese 1.75 per cent 40xx Molybdenum 0.20 or 0.25 per cent 41xx Chromium 0.50, 0.80 or 0.95 per cent Molybdenum 0.12, 0.20 or 0.30 per cent 43xx Nickel 1.83 per centChromium 0.50 or 0.80 percent Molybdenum 0.25 percent. 44xx Molybdenum 0.53 per cent 46xx Nickel 0.85 or 1.83 per centMolybdenum 0.20 or 0.25 percent 47xx Nickel 1.05 per cent Chromium 0.45 per cent 48xx Nickel 3.50 per cent Molybdenum 0.25 per cent 50xx Chromium 0.40 per cent 51xx Chromium 0.80, 0.88, 0.93, 0.95 or 1.00 per cent 5xxxx Carbon 1.04 per cent -- chromium 1.03 or 1.45 per cent 61xx Chromium 0.60 or 0.95 per cent -- Vanadium 0.13 per cent or 0.15 per cent min.

General representation of steels:

EFFECTS OF COMMON ALLOYING ELEMENTS IN STEEL

CARBON (C), although not usually considered as an alloying element, is the most important constituent of steel. It raises tensile strength, hardness and resistance to wear and abrasion. It lowers ductility, toughness and machinability.

MANGANESE (Mn) is a deoxidizer and degasifier and reacts with sulphur to improve forge ability. It in creases tensile strength, hard ness, hardenability and resistance to wear. It de creases tendency toward scaling and distortion. It in creases the rate of carbon-penetration in carburizing.

PHOSPHORUS (P) increases strength and hardness and improves machinability. However, it adds marked brittleness or cold-shortness to steel.

SULPHUR (S) Improves machinability in free-cutting steels, but without sufficient manganese it produces brittleness at red heat. It decreases weldability, impact toughness and ductility.

SILICON (Si) is a deoxidizer and degasifier. It increases tensile and yield strength, hardness, forge ability and magnetic permeability.

CHROMIUM (Cr) increases tensile strength, hardness, hardenability. toughness, resistance to wear and abrasion. resistance to corrosion and scaling at elevated temperatures.

NICKEL (Ni) increases strength and hard ness without sacrificing ductility and toughness. It also increases resistance to corrosion and scaling at elevated temperatures when introduced in suitable quantities in high chromium (stainless) steels.

MOLYBDENUM (Mo) increases strength, hardness, hardenability and toughness, as well as creep resistance and strength at elevated temperatures. It improves machinability and resistance to corrosion and it intensifies the effects of other alloying elements. In hot-work steels, it increases red-hard ness properties.

TUNGSTEN (W) increases strength, hard ness and toughness. Tungsten steels have superior hot-working and greater cutting efficiency at elevated temperatures. VANADIUM (V) increases strength, hard ness and resistance to shock impact. It retards grain growth, permitting higher quenching temperatures. It also enhances the red hardness properties of high speed metal cutting tools and intensifies the individual effects of other major elements. COBALT (Co) Increases strength and hard ness and permits higher quenching temperatures. It also intensifies the individual effects of other major elements in more complex steels.

ALUMINUM (Al) is a deoxidizer and degasifier. It retards grain growth and is used to control austenitic grain size. In nitriding steels it aids in producing a uniformly hard and strong nitrided case when used in amounts 1.00% - 1.25%.

LEAD (Pb), while not strictly an alloying element, is added to improve machining characteristics. It is almost completely in soluble in steel, and minute lead particles, well dispersed, reduce friction where the cutting edge contacts the work. Addition of lead also improves chip-breaking formations.

Common Steel Alloys and Typical Uses

Alloy
1020

Application
Structural steel, bars, plates

Alloy
4130

Application
General purpose, high strength steel shafts, gears, and pins

1040 1050 1095 1137

Machinery parts, shafts Machinery parts Tools, springs Shafts, screw machine parts (free-cutting alloy)

4140 4150 5160 8760

Same as 4130 Same as 4130 High strength gears, bolts Tools, springs, chisels

1141

Shafts, machined parts

Element

Percentage

Primary function

Aluminium 0.951.30 Bismuth Boron 0.0010.003

Alloying element in nitriding steels Improves machinability A powerful hardenability agent Increases hardenability Increases corrosion resistance Corrosion resistance Improved machinability

Principal effects of major alloying elements for steel[8]

Chromium 0.52 418 Copper Lead 0.10.4 -

Manganese 0.250.40 >1 Molybdenu 0.25 m Nickel 25 1220 Silicon 0.20.7 2.0 Higher percentages Sulfur Titanium Tungsten 0.080.15 -

Combines with sulfur and with phosphorus to reduce the brittleness. Also helps to remove excess oxygen from molten steel. Increases hardenability by lowering transformation points and causing transformations to be sluggish Stable carbides; inhibits grain growth. Increases the toughness of steel, thus making molybdenum a very valuable alloy metal for making the cutting parts of machine tools and also the turbine blades of turbojet engines. Also used in rocket motors. Toughener Increases corrosion resistance Increases strength Spring steels Improves magnetic properties Free-machining properties Fixes carbon in inert particles; reduces martensitic hardness in chromium steels Also increases the melting point. Stable carbides; increases strength while retaining ductility; promotes fine grain structure. Increases the toughness at high temperatures

Vanadium 0.15

Steel classes

Crucible steel Carbon steel (2.1% carbon; low alloy) Spring steel (low or no alloy) Alloy steel (contains non-carbon elements) Maraging steel (contains nickel) Stainless steel (contains 10.5% chromium) Weathering steel Tool steel (alloy steel for tools)

2.Cutting alloy steel

Cemented Carbides Steel Stellites Steel Cutting alloy steel used on tools that operated high cutting speeds with high temperature up to 1000 C developed in the cutting edge.

 Powdery

mixture of Tungsten (W) & Titanium carbide (TiC) with metallic cobalt which is 1st compacted & then sintered. In their finished form cemented carbides consists of extremely fine grains of tungsten &Titanium carbide with cobalt binder. Rockwell Hardness number up to 85 & even higher &they retain his hardness @ temperature up to 1000 C.

 Most

widely used grade of cemented carbide contain 2-15% Cobalt . Cemented carbides steel is extremely resistance to wear .

 They

contain large amounts of metal like cobalt and tungsten have high hardness (RHN 60-65) melt at high temperature. Tips or rods from 5-10 mm thick cast of this alloy s are used in hard facing of tools by welding technique to increase the life of the cutting edges.

High speed steel(HSS or HS) is a subset of tool steels, commonly used in tool bits and cutting tools. It is often used in power saw blades and drill bits. It is superior to the older high carbon steel tools used extensively through the 1940s in that it can withstand higher temperatures without losing its temper (hardness). This property allows HSS to cut faster than high carbon steel, hence the name high speed steel. At room temperature, in their generally recommended heat treatment, HSS grades generally display high hardness (above HRC60) and a high abrasion resistance (generally linked to vanadium content often used in HSS) compared to common carbon and tool steels.

M2 M2 is a high speed steel in tungsten-molybdenum series. The carbides in it are small and evenly distributed. It has high wear resistance. After heat treatment, its hardness is the same as T1, but its bending strength can reach 4700 MPa, and its toughness and thermo plasticity are higher than T1 by 50%. It is usually used to manufacture a variety of tools, such as drill bits, taps and reamers. Its decarburization sensitivity is a little bit high. M35 M35 is similar to M2, but with 5% cobalt added. The addition of cobalt increases heat resistance. M42 M42 is a molybdenum series high speed steel alloy with an additional 8% cobalt. It is widely used in metal manufacturing because of its superior red-hardness as compared to more conventional high speed steels, allowing for shorter cycle times in production environments due to higher cutting speeds or from the increase in time between tool changes. M42 is also less prone to chipping when used for interrupted cuts and cost less when compared to the same tool made of carbide. Tools made from cobaltbearing high speed steels can often be identified by the letters HSS-Co.

Grade

Cr

Mo

Co

Mn

Si

T1[7]

0.650.80

3.754.00

17.2518.75

0.91.3

0.10.4

0.20.4

M2

0.95

4.2

5.0

6.0

Alloying compositions of common high speed steel grades (by %wt)

2.0

M7

1.00

3.8

8.7

1.6

2.0

M35

0.94

4.1

5.0

6.0

2.0

5.0

M42

1.10

3.8

9.5

1.5

1.2

8.0

Note that impurity limits are not included

3.Special alloy steel

Heat resisting steels Magnet steels Shock resisting steels Stainless steels High speed Stainless steels

Tool steels:
Plain carbon steels, if used for cutting tools, lack certain characteristics necessary for high-speed production, such as red hardness and hot -strength toughness. The effect of alloying elements in steel is of great advantage and yields tool steels that overcome many of the shortcomings of the plain carbon steels. Tool steels are defined by U.S. steel producers as "carbon or alloy steels capable of being hardened and tempered". Many alloy steels would fit this loose definition. Tool steels usually contain significantly more alloying elements than alloy steels.There are six major categories one of which contains grades intended for special purposes. A prefix letter is used in the alloy identification system to show use category, and the specific alloy in a particular category is identified by one or two digits.

Tool Steel Type Cold Work

Prefix W = Water Hardening O = Oil Hardening A = Medium alloy Air Hardening D = High Carbon, High Chromium S H

Specific Types W1, W2, W5 O1, O2, O6, O7 A2, A4, A6, A7, A8, A9, A10, A11 D2, D3, D4, D5, D7 S1, S2, S4, S5, S6, S7 H10-H19 Chromium types H20-H39 Tungsten types H40-H59 Molybdenum types

Shock Resisting Hot Work

High Speed

M T

Molybdenum types (M1, M2, M3-1, M3-2, M4, M6, M7, M10, M33, M34, M36, M41, M42, M46, M50 Tungsten types (T1, T4, T5, T6, T8, T15)

Mold Steels Special Purpose

P L and F series

P6, P20, P21 L2, L6

The following are some of the characteristics of tool steels: Composition and physical properties vary significantly (some tool steels have compositions that fit into the composition ranges of carbon and alloy steels, but most tool steels have alloy concentrations that are significantly higher than the carbon and alloy steels), One important factor that should be kept in mind is that the alloy additions do not improve corrosion resistance even though some grades have as much chromium as stainless steels. The reason for this is that alloy elements are usually combined with carbon to form carbides. The most significant metallurgical difference between tool steels and the other steels is their microstructure.

A fully hardened carbon steel or alloy steel would have only martensite as the predominant phase. Most tool steels have a hardened structure of martensite and alloy carbides. Require special heat treatment processes , Higher cost than alloy steels, Better hardenability than most carbon and alloy steels, High heat resistance Easier to heat treat, More difficult to machine than carbon and alloy steels Most tool steels are sold as hot-finished shapes such as rounds and bars, Cold-finished sheets are not available because it is difficult to cold roll or cold finish these materials.

Water Hardening Tool Steels (W series)

Oil Hardening Tool Medium Alloy Air High Carbon High Steels Hardening Steels Chromium Steels (O-Series) (A-series) (D-series)

Essentially these are 0.90 to 1.45 % Carbon with5 to 10 % alloying elements All D-series contain 12% carbon steels with 0.60 Mn, Si, W, Mo, Cr. (Mn, Si, W, Mo, Cr, V, Cr and over 1.5 % C. to 1.10 % carbon. They contain graphite in Ni) to improve the Air or oil quench. Lowest cost tool steels. the hardened structure hardenability, wear Low distortion, high Soft core(for toughness) along with martensite. resistance, toughness. abrasion resistance. with hard shallow (Graphite acts as a layer (for wear lubricator and also resistance). makes machining Use of w-series steels is easier. declining. Tungsten forms tungsten carbide which improves the abrasion resistance and edge retention in cutting devices.

Table 1. Classification of steels SAE - AISI Number 1XXX Classification Carbon steels Low carbon steels: 0 to 0.25 % C Medium carbon steels: 0.25 to 0.55 % C High carbon steels: Above 0.55 % Carbon

2XXX

Nickel steels 5 % Nickel increases the tensile strength without reducing ductility. 8 to 12 % Nickel increases the resistance to low temperature impact 15 to 25 % Nickel (along with Al, Cu and Co) develop high magnetic properties. (Alnicometals) 25 to 35 % Nickel create resistance to corrosion at elevated temperatures.

3XXX

Nickel-chromium steels These steels are tough and ductile and exhibit high wear resistance , hardenability and high resistance to corrosion.

4XXX

Molybdenum steels Molybdenum is a strong carbide former. It has a strong effect on hardenability and high temperature hardness. Molybdenum also increases the tensile strength of low carbon steels.

5XXX

Chromium steels Chromium is a ferrite strengthener in low carbon steels. It increases the core toughness and the wear resistnace of the case in carburized steels.

86XX 87XX 93XX 94XX 97XX 98XX

Triple Alloy steels which include Nickel (Ni), Chromium (Cr), and Molybdenum (Mo). These steels exhibit high strength and also high strength to weight ratio, good corrosion resistance.

Table 2. The effect of alloying elements on the properties of steel Element Aluminum Ferrite hardener Graphite former Deoxidizer Effect

Chromium

Mild ferrite hardener Moderate effect on hardenability Graphite former Resists corrosion Resists abrasion

Cobalt

High effect on ferrite as a hardener High red hardness

Molybdenum

Strong effect on hardenability Strong carbide former High red hardness Increases abrasion resistance

Manganese

Strong ferrite hardener

Nickel

Ferrite strengthener Increases toughness of the hypoeutectoid steel With chromium, retains austenite Graphite former

Copper

Austenite stabilizer Improves resistance to corrosion

Silicon

Ferrite hardener Increases magnetic properties in steel

Phosphorus

Ferrite hardener Improves machinability Increases hardenability

Red Hardness: This property , also called hot-hardness, is related to the resistance of the steel to the softening effect of heat. It is reflected to some extent in the resistance of the material to tempering. Hardenability: This property determines the depth and distribution of hardness induced by quenching. Hot-shortness: Brittleness at high temperatures is called hot-shortness which is usually caused by sulfur. When sulfur is present, iron and sulfur form iron sulfide (FeS) that is usually concentrated at the grain boundaries and melts at temperatures below the melting point of steel. Due to the melting of iron sulfide, the cohesion between the grains is destroyed, allowing cracks to develop. This occurs when the steel is forged or rolled at elevated temperatures. In the presence of manganese, sulfur tends to form manganese sulfide (MnS) which prevents hot-shortness.

Cold-shortness: Large quantities of phosphorus (in excess of 0.12%P) reduces the ductility, thereby increasing the tendency of the steel to crack when cold worked. This brittle condition at temperatures below the recrystallization temperature is called cold-shortness.