Question

Different alloying elements and their effects

Answer 1

Carbon (C)
The most important constituent of steel. It raises tensile strength, hardness, and resistance to wear and abrasion. It lowers ductility, toughness and machinability..
Chromium (CR)Increases tensile strength, hardness, hardenability, toughness, resistance to wear and abrasion, resistance to corrosion, and scaling at elevated temperatures.
Cobalt (CO)Increases strength and hardness and permits higher quenching temperatures and increases the red hardness of high speed steel. It also intensifies the individual effects of other major elements in more complex steels.

Copper (CU)
In significant amounts is detrimental to hot-working steels. Copper negatively affects forge welding, but does not seriously affect arc or oxyacetylene welding. Copper can be detrimental to surface quality. Copper is beneficial to atmospheric corrosion resistance when present in amounts exceeding 0.20%. Weathering steels are sold having greater than 0.20% Copper.

Nickel (NI)
Increases strength and hardness without sacrificing ductility and toughness. It also increases resistance to corrosion and scaling at elevated temperatures when introduced in suitable quantities in high-chromium (stainless) steels.

Phosphorus (P)
Increases strength and hardness and improves machinability. However, it adds marked brittleness or cold-shortness to steel.
Tungsten (W)
Increases strength, wear resistance, hardness and toughness. Tungsten steels have superior hot-working and greater cutting efficiency at elevated temperatures.


Manganese (MN)
A deoxidizer and degasifier and reacts with sulfur to improve forgeability. It increases tensile strength, hardness, hardenability and resistance to wear. It decreases tendency toward scaling and distortion. It increases the rate of carbon-penetration in carburizing.
Phosphorus (P)
Increases strength and hardness and improves machinability. However, it adds marked brittleness or cold-shortness to steel.
These were the different alloying elements and their effects .