The main difference between steel and iron is the difference in carbon content
The carbon content of 2% ~ 4.3% said that the iron carbon alloy cast iron. Iron is hard and brittle, but the pressure to wear. According to the existing steel carbon iron in different forms can be divided into white iron, gray iron and ductile iron. White cast iron with Fe3C carbon distribution, fracture is silver white, hard and brittle, not in mechanical processing, steel raw materials, it is also called the carbon graphite iron for steelmaking. The distribution of gray, gray fracture, easy cutting, easy casting, wear. If the carbon distribution is said to spheroidal graphite nodular cast iron, its mechanical properties and processing performance is close to steel special alloy elements added. In the cast iron can be special cast iron, such as adding Cr, the wear resistance can be greatly improved, with important applications in special conditions
Steel carbon content is 0.03% ~ 2% of the iron carbon alloy. Carbon steel is the most commonly used ordinary steel smelting, convenient, easy processing, low price, and can satisfy the use requirement in most cases, it is widely used. According to the different carbon content, carbon steel is divided into low carbon steel, medium carbon steel and high carbon steel with the carbon content increased, decreased the hardness, toughness of carbon steel alloy steel. Also called special steel, adding one or more alloying elements in steel on the basis of the change of microstructure and properties of steel, it has some special properties, such as high hardness, high wear resistance, high toughness and corrosion resistance sex, etc.
The essential difference between steel and iron is that there is a difference in carbon content.1, steel, is a carbon content, mass percentage of 0.02% to 2.04% between the ferroalloy. The chemical composition of steel can have great changes, only the carbon steel is called carbon steel (carbon steel) or ordinary steel; in actual production, steel tend to use different with different alloy elements, such as manganese, nickel, vanadium and so on;2 iron is a chemical element. Its chemical symbol is Fe. It has an atomic number of 26. It is the most common metal. It is a kind of transition metal. A metal element with a second highest crustal content.Extension of knowledge point:Iron into pig iron and wrought iron. Wrought iron, steel and cast iron is an alloy of iron and carbon with the carbon content difference. Generally less than 0.2% carbon content that wrought iron or iron, the content of 0.2-1.7% in the steel, is iron content of more than 1.7%. Soft wrought iron, good plasticity, easy deformation, strength and hardness were lower, not widely used; iron carbon, hard and brittle, almost no plastic; steel pig iron and wrought iron with two kinds of advantages, widely used for human.
