Steel is basically everywhere. We are surrounded by steel, without even realizing it. When you are not into, let’s say, construction business, you rarely think about the types of steel that are used for this or that. But when you are involved with mechanic construction, it’s a must to know the types of still and their advantages. Among all the types of still high strength steel is probably the most multipurpose alloy. So, let’s figure out what is high strength steel, its difference with its carbon counterpart, and its advantages.
What Is High Strength Steel?
High strength low-alloy steel is a type of steel that has greater resistance to corrosion and thus has better mechanical properties. This type of differs from other types of steel in that it is produced not to meet a specific chemical composition, but rather to meet certain mechanical properties. While like most of the types of steel, high strength steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, the content of the latter is limited, ranging mainly between 0,5% and 0,25%. The reduced content of carbon provides high strength steel with formability and weldability. High strength low-alloy steel contains around 2,0% of manganese, and small quantities of alloying elements like nickel, nitrogen, zirconium, etc. Other important additional alloying elements include copper, niobium, titanium, and vanadium, which are added in order to boost material’s strength.
Advantages of High Strength Steel
Using the high strength low-alloy type of steel in mechanical constructions has certain advantages. First of all, high strength steel provides a significant reduction in mechanical constructions’ masses. The reduction of constructions’ masses increases the energy efficiency of those constructions. Secondly, applying high strength steels allows more flexibility in design. Thirdly, the prices of high strength low-alloy steel remain reasonable, while prices for structural steel tend to increase. The inexpensive prices make high strength steel more attractive to the manufacturers. Finally, there is an ecological advantage of high strength steel, as apply high strength low-alloy steels for mechanical constructions has a lesser negative impact on the environment.
After learning all that, it makes no surprise that high strength low-alloy steels is the type of steel with the fastest-growing share of the application. This type of material is slowly replacing the more conventional steels thanks to its corrosion resistance, a specific ratio of weight and toughness, and its economic and environmental benefits.
