Physical Properties of Steel

Steel is manufactured by mixing iron and carbon in a specific ratio, in which the percentage of carbon may range from 0.2 percent to 2.14 percent of the total weight. Other than carbon, the alloying materials used in manufacturing steel include chromium, manganese, vanadium and tungsten. Among all these materials, carbon is the most cost-effective element. Alloying material performs the function of hardening the metal during cooling.

Physical Properties of Steel

Steel differs from wrought iron and cast iron, only in the percentage of carbon content. Steel contains more iron than wrought iron and less than that of cast iron. It is because of this reason that steel is considered to occupy a position between these two metals. However, the properties of steel, wrought and cast iron differ tremendously. Let's take a look at the physical properties of steel.

The physical properties of steel are totally different from its component elements viz. iron and carbon. One of the major property of steel is the ability to cool down rapidly from an extremely hot temperature after being subjected to water or oil. Physical properties depends on the percentage composition of the constituent elements and the manufacturing process.A particular amount of carbon can be dissolved in iron at a specific temperature.

The physical properties of steel include high strength, low weight, durability, flexibility and corrosive resistance. Steel, as we all know, offers great strength though it is light in weight. In fact, the ratio of strength to weight for steel is the lowest than any other building material as of now. By the term flexibility, it means steel can easily be molded to form any desired shape.

Unlike the constituent element iron, steel does not corrode easily, on being exposed to moisture and water. The dimensional stability of steel is a desired property, as the dimension of steel remains unchanged even after many years or being subjected to extreme environmental conditions. Steel is a good conductor of electricity, i.e. electricity can pass through steel.

Steel grades are classified by many standard organizations, based on the composition and the physical properties of the metal. The deciding factor for the grade of steel is basically the hardness of the metal, which differs depending upon the amount of carbon content. The higher the carbon content, the harder and stronger is the steel metal, along with more chances of fracture (brittle). A high quality steel contains less carbon, yet retaining the strength and hardness.

Earlier forms of steel consisted of more carbon, as compared to the present day steel. Today, the steel manufacturing process is such that less carbon is added and the metal is cooled down immediatey, so as to retain the desirable physical properties of steel. There are other types of steel such as galvanized steel and stainless steel (corrosion-resistant steel). Galvanized steel is coated with zinc to protect it from corrosion, whereas stainless steel contains about 10 percent of chromium in its composition.

The major advantage of steel is the ability to recycle it effectively, without destroying or losing any of its physical properties in the recycling process. Steel is very important in our day-to-day life, starting from the steel cookwares to scientific instruments like scalpel. Due to its cost-effectiveness and strength, steel is used in engineering works and in infrastructure developments such as roads, railways, bridges, buildings and stadiums. Growth and development of the steel industry marks the economic progress of the country.