Group Number

San Carlos University of Guatemala

Faculty of Engineering

8
School of Sciences

Technical English: __1_

Section: __A___

Date: ___October 3th. 2018_____________

Name of the assignment:

________________TYPES OF STEEL_____________________

ID Number Name
201310283 DYLAN SAMUEL RUIZ MAYEN
 Index

Pages

• Front Page A

• Index B

• Introduction C

• Objectives D

• Investigation 1-4

• Conclusions E

• Annexes F

• References G
 Introduction

Metal, industrial and utilitarian in appearance, is frequently used as a material in modern

construction, as a structural element or as a finish for interior coverings. Steel is synonymous
with immense skyscrapers, but nowadays it is used more and more in interior furniture
coverings: tables, chairs, countertops, etc.

The metal and its cold aesthetic, is a resistant material, durable and invulnerable to insects.

However, from the environmental point of view, the use of metal in construction is very
problematic. It is the construction material with the highest energy consumption,
approximately 300 times more than wood.

On the other hand, with the exception of zinc and tin that are becoming scarce, metals are
very abundant in nature, which does not prevent their extraction from implying the destruction
of natural habitats, and that their processing is significantly contaminating.

Metal is a material with high thermal conductivity, that is to say, very conductive of heat, which
can suppose, in certain situations, problems of thermal bridges that can compromise the
energetic efficiency of the building and favor condensations and apparitions of mold.
Therefore, the use of metal in construction must be the product of a detailed technical study,
especially when it comes to elements that are going to be subjected to inclement weather.
 OBJECTIVES

1. To learn to explain the different types of steels

2. Determine the relationship between the carbon content in metals

3. Define the enterprises that make thermal treatments in metals at Guatemala

Types of Steel

Steel is an alloy made from iron and carbon. There are several distinct grades of steel that
have unique chemical compositions based on the different amounts of carbon and added
alloys.
When determining the type of steel that you want to buy, it is important to know there are four
different types of steel that are classified based on their chemical structure and physical
properties: carbon steels, alloy steels, stainless steels, and tool steels. We'll outline each of
the following steel types below.
Carbon steel is dull and matte in appearance and is vulnerable to corrosion. Carbon steel
can contain other alloys, such as manganese, silicon, and copper.

• Low Carbon Steel– Composition of 0.05%-0.25% carbon and up to 0.4% manganese.

Also known as mild steel, it is a low-cost material that is easy to shape. While not as
hard as higher-carbon steels, carburizing can increase its surface hardness.
• Medium Carbon Steel– Composition of 0.29%-0.54% carbon, with 0.60%-1.65%
manganese. Medium carbon steel is ductile and strong, with long-wearing properties.

• High Carbon Steel –Composition of 0.55%-0.95% carbon, with 0.30%-0.90%

manganese. It is very strong and holds shape memory well, making it ideal for springs
and wire.

• Very High Carbon Steel -Composition of 0.96%-2.1% carbon. Its high carbon content
makes it an extremely strong material. Due to its brittleness, this grade requires special
handling.

Alloy steels are a mixture of several metals, including nickel, copper, and aluminum. Alloy
steels tend to be cheaper and are used in mechanical work, car parts, pipelines, and motors.
The strength and property of alloy steels depends on the concentration of elements they
contain.
Stainless steels are shiny, corrosion resistant, and used in many products, including home
appliances, backsplashes and cooking utensils. It has a low carbon content Stainless steel
contains the alloy chromium and can also include nickel or molybdenum. Stainless steel is
strong and can withstand high temperatures. There are more than 100 grades of stainless
steel, making it an extremely versatile material that is customizable depending on your
purpose.
Tool steels are hard and heat and scrape-resistant. They are named tool steels because they
are often used to make metal tools, such as stamping, cutting, and mold-making tools. They
are also commonly used to make hammers. There are several different grades of steel that
can be used for distinct applications.

Thermal Treatment
It is known as heat treatment to the set of heating and cooling operations, under controlled
conditions of temperature, residence time, speed, pressure, of metals or alloys in solid state,
in order to improve their mechanical properties, especially the hardness , resistance and
elasticity. The materials to which the heat treatment is applied are, basically, steel and cast
iron, formed by iron and carbon. Various thermal treatments are also applied to ceramics.

Mechanic Propierties

The mechanical characteristics of a material depend as much on its chemical composition as

on its crystalline structure. The thermal treatments modify this crystalline structure without the
chemical composition, through a process of successive heating and cooling until the desired
crystalline structure is achieved.

Among these features are:

Resistance to wear: It is the resistance offered by a material to be eroded when it is in friction

contact with another material.

Tenacity: The ability of a material to absorb energy without cracking (impact resistance).

Machinability: It is the facility that has a material to allow the process of machining by chip
removal.
Hardness: It is the resistance offered by a material to be penetrated. It is measured in
BRINELL units (HB), ROCKWEL C units (HRC), VICKERS (HV), etc.

Improvement of properties through heat treatment

The mechanical properties of the alloys of the same metal, and in particular of the steels,
reside in the chemical composition of the alloy that forms them and the type of thermal
treatment to which they are subjected.

The thermal treatments modify the crystalline structure that they form to the steels, without
changing the chemical composition of the same ones. This property must have different grain
structures with the same chemical composition, it is called alotropy and it is the one that
justifies the thermal treatments.

Technically, polymorphism is the ability of some materials to present different crystalline

structures (see Bravais networks), with a single chemical composition. Diamond and graphite
are carbon polymorphisms. Α-ferrite, austenite and δ-ferrite are iron polymorphisms. In a pure
chemical element, this property is called alotropy.

Therefore, the different grain structures can be modified, thus obtaining steels with new
mechanical properties, but always maintaining the chemical composition. These properties
vary according to the treatment given to the steel, depending on the temperature to which it is
heated and how it cools.

The shape that the grain and the micro-constituents that will make up the steel will have,
knowing the chemical composition of the steel (that is, percentage of carbon and iron (Fe3))
and the temperature at which it is found can be seen in the iron diagram. carbon. Below and
by way of example, a figure is attached which shows how the grain varies as the steel is
heated first and then cooled.

The microconstituents referred to above are, in this case, pearlite, austenite and ferrite. In the
figure that is attached below, it can be seen more clearly how the grain of the brass varies
according to the temperature variation in a heat treatment. This will be possible if the thermal
treatment control is carried out, to check if the process complies with all the technical
requirements that are required in the quality control. This control is carried out in all stages of
production, taking into account the quality control of the initial materials, the control of the
technological processes of the thermal treatment and the control of the production of the heat
treatment workshop.

The thermal treatment in the material is one of the fundamental steps so that it can reach the
mechanical properties for which it is created.

This type of process involves heating and cooling a metal in its solid state to change its
physical properties. With proper thermal treatment, internal stresses, grain size, increased
toughness or hard surface with a ductile interior can be reduced.

The key to thermal treatments consists of the reactions that occur in the material, both in the
steels and in the non-ferrous alloys, and they occur during the process of heating and cooling
the pieces, with established patterns or times.

In order to know at what temperature the metal should rise in order to receive a thermal
treatment, it is advisable to have phase change diagrams such as the iron-carbon diagram. In
this type of diagrams are specified the temperatures at which the phase changes (crystal
structure changes), depending on the diluted materials.

The thermal treatments have acquired great importance in the industry in general, since with
the constant innovations they are required metals with greater resistance to both wear and
stress. The main thermal treatments are:

Tempering: Its purpose is to increase the hardness and strength of steel. To do this, the steel
is heated to a slightly higher temperature than the upper Cr (between 900-950 ° C) and then
cooled more or less quickly (depending on the characteristics of the piece) in a medium such
as water, oil, etc. .

Inverse tempering: Only applies to previously hardened steels, to slightly decrease the effects
of tempering, conserving part of the hardness and increasing tenacity. Tempering reduces the
hardness and strength of tempered steels, eliminates the stresses created in tempering and
improves tenacity, leaving the steel with the desired hardness or strength. It differs basically
from the temple in terms of maximum temperature and cooling speed.
Annealing: It basically consists of a heating up to the austenitization temperature (800-925 °
C) followed by a slow cooling. With this treatment it is possible to increase the elasticity, while
the hardness decreases. It also facilitates the machining of the pieces by homogenizing the
structure, refining the grain and softening the material, eliminating the acrimony produced by
cold work and internal stresses.

Normalized: Its objective is to leave a material in a normal state, that is to say, absence of
internal tensions and with a uniform carbon distribution. It is usually used as a pre-treatment
to hardening and tempering.

Enterprises that do this kind of works in Guatemala

Austenit is a company founded in 1995 in Guatemala with a very specific mission:
Offer to industry a heat treating service meeting the highest requirements of the Central
American market.

Using well-known European technology with a strategy of strict quality control,Austenit

quickly established his reputation as a leader in his field.
 Conclusions

1. For everything related to steel in construction, you know several types of steel. Among
which we can mention carbon steels, steel alloys, stainless steel and tool steel.

2. To know the relationship between carbon contain in the metals, we have the
mechanical propierties. In this part, we can see that the resistance to wear is the main
characteristics about carbon contain.

3. In Guatemala there is only one prestigious company that performs heat

treatments in metals. Austenit was founded in 1995 and they are very well
known in Europe. They are specialists in metallurgy.
 Annexes

Tempering colors of steel

 References

• https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tratamiento_térmico

• https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Templado_del_acero

• https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenido

• https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recocido

• https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normalizado

• https://www.google.com/search?
biw=1517&bih=696&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=xvixW_7EDM3I5gKEqZygCg&q=TRATEMIEN
TOS+TERMICOS+EN+METALES&oq=TRATEMIENTOS+TERMICOS+EN+METALES
&gs_l=img.3...1699250.1705607.0.1705713.32.29.0.0.0.0.466.3144.6j13j2j0j1.22.0....0
...1c.1.64.img..10.5.1043...0j0i67k1j0i10i24k1.0.PyS76hepHhk

• https://www.capitalsteel.net/news/blog/types-of-steel

• https://www.austenit.com/en/