Steel and its variants has become such an indispensable item in everyday living that it is difficult to imagine a world without this material. You have the metal finding its way into the kitchen of today’s woman to every room of her house and thereon to every possible application in industrial settings. Hence, there is stainless steel, mild steel and carbon steel equipment used to fulfill various requirements in hundreds of applications.
Mild Steel
Steel is a very versatile metal and is available in different grades depending upon the percentage of components contained in it. Mild steel is the cheapest of all the three variations and is used to a large extent in many areas of domestic and industrial settings. Mild steel possesses large amount of properties which makes it the most widely used form of steel. It can be welded, magnetized and is highly durable. Though it rusts easily this aspect is prevented by applying a coat of paint or a faint coat of grease or oil which helps to seal the metal surface from being exposed to the atmosphere. You find the use of mild steel in everyday use objects ranging from mild steel plates to the chassis of automobiles to motorbike frames to huge pipelines in the industry. All projects that require large amounts of metal prefer to opt for mild steel.
Carbon Steel
Steel which does not contain any specified percentage of alloying elements is called carbon steel. It is formed by adding carbon to iron in order to lend strength to the resulting metal. Depending upon the levels of carbon, these come in four varieties ranging from ultra-high, high, medium and low carbon steels. All the four variants are used in different applications such as in making steel strips or flat-rolled sheets used in construction of ships, automobiles, wire products or even domestic appliances. Carbon steel pipe fittings are a common item used in several industrial applications.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is the metal which has the anti-corrosive property and hence ensures the existence of hygiene and provides safety in all the applications where it is used. Stainless steel plates are therefore a common feature of all domestic kitchens in addition to a large number of other cookware. It is used to make sheaves which hold the v belts needed for power transmission. Various elements such as nickel, chromium, molybdenum are used in the making of stainless steel. Four major types of stainless steel variety are available in the market namely austenitic, ferritic, martensitic and duplex steel. The properties of each variety differ from one another and accordingly the applications for which they are used differ. As such they go into the making of a wide range of household products, constructional structures, industrial piping and vessels, architectural facades, paper and pulp industry and many more.
Steel holds an important place in the world of materials and the future of this metal is very bright what with the number of companies engaged in its production increasing year on year.