ENGINEERING MATERIAL

Steel with varied

Carbon content
Learning
outcome:
Differentiate low,
Medium and high
Carbon steel
according to its
Tensile strength,
Guide questions

1. why there are different carbon content on steel?

2. how they affect the metals?

What is steel?
Steel. is an alloy of iron and carbon, in which the
carbon content is within the range of 0.05% - 1.7%.
iron
Iron has mechanical properties
similar to those of copper. The
tensile strength of iron is 139
MPa. Iron is too weak and too
soft for most engineering and
structural applications.
Carbon
Carbon has the greatest effect of
any element when alloyed with
iron. Increasing the carbon content
of low carbon
• increase tensile steel will :
• decrease ductility
• strength
increase hardness • decrease
• increase • malleability
decrease
• hardenability
increase toughness • weldability
lower the melting
point
Elements in steel
The composition of plain carbon
steel is as follows.
• Iron (Fe)
• Carbon (C) 0.05% - 1.7%
• Phosphorous (P) 0.05% max
• Silicon (Si) 0.35% max
• Sulphur (S) 0.06% max
• Manganese (Mn) 0.8% max
The effect of these elements on plain
carbon steel
• Phosphoro
us
Phosphorous forms iron phosphates that cause cold shortness,
a lack of ductility at normal temperatures. Phosphorous must
be kept below 0.05%.
The effect of these elements on plain
carbon steel
• Silicon
Silicon is used mainly as a de-oxidiser in the steel making
process. Silicon has no significant effect on improving the
mechanical properties of steel. In excessive amounts it tends
to cause grain boundary weakness.
The effect of these elements on plain
carbon steel
• Sulphur
Sulphur causes hot shortness in steel. In plain carbon steels,
sulphur is kept below 0.06%. Sulphur is used in free
machining steels, however the trend is to use lead to improve
machinability in modern steels.
The effect of these elements on plain
carbon steel
• Manganes
eAlthough carbon/manganese steels
(1.0%–1.8% Mn) make use of
manganese to improve hardness and
tensile strength, in plain carbon steels
manganese
• As a grainisrefiner
used:
• As a de – oxidiser
• To counteract the effect of sulphur
in promoting hot shortness.
Two main groups of steel

• Plain carbon
steels
Where the element used to improve
mechanical properties is carbon

• Alloy steels
Where elements other than
carbon are used to improve
mechanical properties.
Plain carbon steel
Plain carbon steels are divided
into three groups, which are
• Low carbon steel

• Medium carbon steel

• High carbon steel

low carbon steel
Low carbon steel is an iron/carbon alloy
where the percentage of carbon is within
the range of 0.05% to 0.30%. Low carbon
steel is non-hardenable by heat treatment,
and therefore is essentially unaffected by
welding. This makes low carbon steel the
ideal choice for general fabrication
purposes where high strength is
A decrease in carbon content improvesnot a
prime requirement,
the ductility of mildbut ease
steel butofhas
fabrication
no
and welding are.
effect in respect of its strength
properties.
low carbon steel
• Low carbon steels will have good
tensile strength and ductility.
• These low carbon steels tend to more
corrosion when they exposed to the
atmosphere.
• Bolts and nuts and axels, gears, levers,
shafts are mostly made of low carbon
steels.
medium carbon steel
Medium carbon steel contains carbon in
the range of 0.30%–0.50%. Medium
carbon steels are hardenable, and exhibit
improved mechanical properties over low
carbon steel.
• Medium carbon steels will have better
strength, toughness than the low
carbon steels.
• Suitable for the casting process.
• Rails, Cranks, pins, connecting rods,
gear wheels, most likely the
components which will be subjected
high carbon steel
High carbon steel contains carbon in the
range of 0.50%–1.70%. High carbon
steels are generally selected for use where
hardness is a prime requirement, and
components made from this material are
usually heat treated during manufacture.
• High carbon steels can have good
hardness, wear resistance, and
toughness.
• Hammers, Screwdrivers, mandrels,
saws, anvil faces, wrenches chisels,
shear blades are made up of high
Mechanical Properties of Carbon
Steel

• Ductility
• Hardness
• High yield strength
• Toughness
Conclusion:

• All these steel mentioned are plain

carbon steels classification based on
the carbon composition percentage
only. There are few other
classifications are also available
based on structure, by the
application, method of manufacture,
etc.
Thank you and God
bless us all