Question:

is steel flexible?

would you consider steel a flexible substance...i am debating this with my coworkers.Thanks,

Answer:

Yes, looking at it from an engineering standpoint. Depending on it's shape it can be used for many applications where flexibility is important. Steel springs for example, or guitar strings. Whenever you're debating these kinds of matters, it is important to keep in mind that the use of a material depends on the shape, the size and the weight it's going to be used in. A big block of steel will be used in a different manner as a piece of steel wire.
Steel is a flexible material. It can be deformed and return to it's original shape up while the stress applied is still in the elastic range. How flexible depends on size, shape, and alloy. Some alloys are more flexible than others and a lot of this is controlled by carbon content.
Yes, steel is flexible. Springs, like the ones holding up your car, are made out of steel. One reason why steel skyscrapers do so well in earthquakes is because steel is flexible. Piano wires are made out of steel. High tension wires for electric power transmission are made out of steel. Even a solid block of hard steel can actually bend and spring back, although it's very hard to see this tiny flexure.

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