jonyadison22
Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2009 9:49 pm Posts: 9 Location: U.K
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What is steel used for ?
Steel is iron added with carbon with a rate close to 0%, corresponding to very slight traces, up to 2%. Carbon content has an impact on the characteristics of the metal. There are two major families of steel: alloy steels and non-alloy steels. Alloy refers to chemical elements other than carbon added to the iron in accordance with a minimum variable content for each. For example: 0.50% for silicon, 0.08% for molybdenum, 10.5% for chrome. Thus an alloy of 17% chrome and 8% nickel is used to create stainless steel. It is for this reason that there is not one but many types of steel.
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casper
Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2010 2:04 pm Posts: 6 Location: U.K
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Re: What is steel used for ?
Stainless steels of various kinds are used in thousands of applications. The following gives a flavour of the full range:
Domestic – cutlery, sinks, saucepans, washing machine drums, microwave oven liners, razor blades
Architectural/Civil Engineering – cladding, handrails, door and window fittings, street furniture, structural sections, reinforcement bar, lighting columns, lintels, masonry supports
Transport – exhaust systems, car trim/grilles, road tankers, ship containers, ships chemical tankers, refuse vehicles
Chemical/Pharmaceutical – pressure vessels, process piping.
Oil and Gas – platform accommodation, cable trays, subsea pipelines.
Medical – Surgical instruments, surgical implants, MRI scanners.
Food and Drink – Catering equipment, brewing, distilling, food processing.
Water – Water and sewage treatment, water tubing, hot water tanks.
General – springs, fasteners (bolts, nuts and washers), wire.
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