What are the effects of alloying elements on steel?

Steel is made of iron, carbon, and some other alloy, and non-alloyed. Different alloy elements have different effects on steel Mechanical and Physical properties.

The effects of alloying elements on steel are as follows:

C(Carbon) is the most important constituent of steel. It can raise hardness, tensile strength, and resistance to wear and abrasion but can reduce the ductility, toughness, and machinability of steel.

Si(Silicon) is a deoxidizer and detoxifier. It increases ductility, tensile and yield strength, hardness, enforceability, and magnetic permeability.

Mn(Manganese) is a detoxifier and can react with sulfur to improve enforceability. It increases tensile strength, hardness, hardenability, resistance to wear, and the rate of carbon-penetration in carburizing but decreases the tendency toward scaling and distortion.

P(Phosphorus) increases strength and hardness and improves machinability.

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

Cr(Chromium) is very important in steel. It can increase steel’s hardness, tensile strength, hardenability, toughness, resistance to wear and abrasion, resistance to corrosion, and scaling at elevated temperatures.

Co(Cobalt) increases strength and hardness and permits higher quenching temperatures and increases the red hardness of high-speed steel.

CB(Columbium) used as stabilizing elements in stainless steel. Thus, localized precipitation of carbides at grain boundaries is prevented. Cu (Copper) negatively affects forge welding but does not seriously affect arc or oxyacetylene welding.

Nickel(Ni) increases strength and hardness without sacrificing ductility, toughness, resistance to corrosion, and scaling at elevated temperatures when introduced in suitable quantities in high-chromium (stainless) steels.

Ta(Tantalum) used as stabilizing elements in stainless steel. Thus, localized precipitation of carbides at grain boundaries is prevented.

Ti(Titanium) used as stabilizing elements in stainless steel. Thus, localized precipitation of carbides at grain boundaries is prevented.