Material:Steel

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Steel

Material-default.png
Synonyms: DE: Stahl
On Site? some scraps
Location: metal workshop
Suggested Tools: many metalworking tools
(not all are suitable for ferrous metals!)
Contains: iron, carbon
Similar (More or Less): stainless steel


Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon (in the dimensions of 1%) and sometimes other metals. Depending on its exact composition, steel can have very different properties such as:

  • Mechanical:
    • Hardness: Resistance to indentation or abrasion, there are a lot of different scales and measuring procedures
    • Strength:
      • yield strength: maximal stress the steel can take before permanently deforming
      • tensile strength: maximal stress the steel can take before rupturing
    • Ductility: how much it can be plastically deformed before rupturing, good if you want to bend it in to shape but softer
  • Physical:
    • Electrical Conductivity
    • Density: how much g/cm²
    • Thermal Conductivity
    • Thermal Resistance, melting and boiling point: BTW all of the above and below change depending on the temperature
  • Chemical:
    • Corrosion resistance: How strong it rusts

But not only the composition of the alloy but also the crystalline structure heavily influence the properties, just like coal and diamond (different structure and properties but both are carbon). The structure can be altered by the following processes:

  • Heat treating
  • Tempering
  • Annealing



Rebar

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Rebar

Rebar pieces 6 mm.jpg
Synonyms: reinforcing bar, reinforcement steel,
DE: Bewehrungsstahl, Betonstahl,
Armierungsstahl, Moniereisen, Torstahl,
Riffelstahl, Betonriffelstahl
Suggested Tools: disc grinder, hacksaw
Used with: concrete
Contains: steel

Rebar (reinforcing bar) is a common steel product that is designed to reinforce concrete structures against tension.

As it is cheap and available in different diameters, it's suitable for many welding projects! You have certainly seen it on construction sites, although it probably looked more rusty than fresh from the store...

Further Reading