4.Kinds of Steel(钢的种类).docVIP

Kinds of Steel (钢的种类) There are two general kinds of steel: carbon steel and alloy steel, Carbon steel contains only iron and carbon, while alloy steel contains some other “alloying elements” such as nickel（镍）, chromium（铬）, manganese（锰）, molybdenum（钼）, tungsten（钨）, vanadium（钒）, etc. Carbon steels low carbon steel containing from 0.05 to 0.15 percent carbon; this steel is also known as machine steel; medium carbon steel containing from 0.15 to 0.60 percent carbon; high carbon steel containing from 0.60 to 1.5 percent carbon; this steel is sometimes called “tool steel”（工具钢）. 2 Alloy steels special alloy steel, such as nickel steel, chromium steel; high-speed steel also known as self-hardening steel（自硬钢）. Carbon steels are the most common steels used in industry. The properties of these steels depend only on the percentage of carbon they contain. Low carbon steels are very soft and can be used for bolts（螺栓） and for machine parts that do not need strength. Medium carbon steel is a better grade and stronger than low carbon steel. It is also more difficult to cut than low carbon steel. High carbon steel may be hardened by heating it to a certain temperature and then quickly cooling in water. The morecarbon the steel contains and the quicker the cooling is, the harder it becomes. Because of its high strength and hardness this grade of steel may be used for tools and working parts of machines. But for some special uses, for example, for gears（齿轮）, bearings（轴承）, springs（弹簧）, shafts（轴） and wire, carbon steels can not be always used because they have no properties needed for these parts. Some special alloy steels should be used for such parts because the alloying elements make them tougher, stronger, or harder than carbon steels. Some alloying elements cause steel to resist corrosion, and such steels are called stainless steels. Stainless steels(不锈钢) contain a high percentage of chromium. Chromium also makes steel harder. Nickel is used in steel to increase strength and t