Each of the many components that make up steel plays a role in producing the finished product. Mixing these components will determine how strong, durable and resistant to corrosion the product is. It is important to understand the role of steel's essential elements and additives.
The "fluxing additives" can be added during the smelting process in an electric or cupola furnace. They are usually made up of 20-80% alumina. The rest is a mixture of one or more metal oxides, such as: iron oxide, magnesium oxide, manganese oxide and titanium oxide. By mixing these with alumina, you can produce mixtures that react faster and more fully with lime to form slag at lower temperatures than would be formed by mixtures of the individual oxide materials alone.
This ingredient is necessary for many steel alloys as it aids in hardening the end product. This increases the resistance to corrosion. Even if it is added to very small amounts of iron, the strength will be greatly increased.
It has the same effect as nickel on steel's overall strength. Usually, it is added in small amounts, but this can make an enormous difference to the steel's final strength, particularly if that product will undergo a great deal of strain or stress.
The sulfur is present in commercial steel as a residue, but can be added purposefully. As a result, the steel becomes stronger but loses ductility. To counter this, it is usually mixed with manganese or carbon.
In most steels, phosphorus is present either as an additive or a residue. Like carbon, it increases the hardness and tensile strength of the steel, but again, it does so at the expense of ductility and toughness.
In the process of making steel, aluminum acts as a oxidizer and removes oxygen. This also increases the product’s ability to be machined.
Molybdenum can be used as an additive to improve the ductility and the strength of steel. This is why it's so important in producing stainless steel. Also, it is used to make aircraft and spacecraft as well as mining equipment and oil rigs. Niobium - also called columbium - is a strong, flexible metal. This can be combined to form steels of high strength. This metal also exhibits excellent corrosion resistance. It is therefore often combined with iron to make jet engines or heat resistant equipment. It can also be combined with other metals to make high-strength, lightweight alloys.
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