1. Carbon; the higher the carbon content, the higher the hardness of the steel, but the worse its plasticity and toughness.
2. Sulfur; it is a harmful impurity in steel. Steels with higher sulfur content are prone to brittleness when subjected to high temperature pressure processing, usually called hot brittleness.
3. Phosphorus: It can significantly reduce the plasticity and toughness of steel, especially at low temperatures. This phenomenon is called cold brittleness. In high-quality steel, sulfur and phosphorus must be strictly controlled. But from another perspective, low carbon steel contains high sulfur and phosphorus, which can make it easy to cut, which is beneficial to improve the machinability of steel.
4. Manganese; can improve the strength of steel, weaken and eliminate the adverse effects of sulfur, and can improve the hardenability of steel. High-alloy steel (high manganese steel) with high manganese content has good wear resistance and Other physical properties.
5. Silicon: It can increase the hardness of steel, but the plasticity and toughness are reduced. The steel used for electrical engineering contains a certain amount of silicon, which can improve the soft magnetic properties.
6. Tungsten; can improve the red hardness and thermal strength of steel, and can improve the wear resistance of steel.
7. Chromium; can improve the hardenability and wear resistance of steel, and can improve the corrosion resistance and oxidation resistance of steel.
