Materials know-how

Iron is an important element of living organisms and one of our most heavily used industrial materials, especially its alloy with carbon: steel. From classification and the effect of carbon to the alloying elements behind corrosion-resistant and acid-resistant grades, here is what shapes the properties of steels.

Structural steels. Materials such as steel are things we encounter primarily in practice, as users, so it is worth discussing some of their properties on the basis of their fields of application. Non-alloy structural steels are usually supplied in the hot-rolled or forged condition.

Heat treatment is a technological operation consisting of controlled heating and heat transfer and/or cooling, by which the properties of products can be modified to suit their application. There are certain heat treatments that are used for a particular alloy family – for example for stainless and acid-resistant steels.

Extract from standard DIN EN ISO 3506. Steel groups and strength classes are designated by a sequence of letters and numbers consisting of 4 characters. The letters denote the general classification of the steel groups: A = austenitic steels, C = martensitic steels, F = ferritic steels.