Low Alloy Steel

Introduction

Introduction

Steel

Plain

Low Alloy

High Alloy

Low-alloy steels constitute a category of

ferrous materials that exhibit mechanical

properties superior to plain carbon steels as
the result of additions of alloying elements
such as nickel, chromium, and
molybdenum. Total alloy content can range
from 2.07% up to levels just below that of
stainless steels, which contain a minimum of
10% Cr.

the total content of alloying elements is < 5

%, and

Al>0.3%
Cr >0.03%
Co>0.03%
Mo>0.08%
Ni>0.6 %

The primary function of the alloying

elements in low alloy steels is to increase

hardenability in order to optimize
mechanical properties and toughness after
heat treatment. In some cases, however,
alloy additions are used to reduce
environmental degradation under certain
specified service conditions.
Wide range of manufacturing methods i.e.
welding, casting, machining, forming.

Classification
AISI/SAE

Classification
Based on application
Low-carbon quenched and tempered steels combine
high yield strength (from 350 to 1035 MPa) and high
tensile strength with good notch toughness, ductility,
corrosion resistance, or weldability. The various steels
have different combinations of these characteristics
based on their intended applications.
Medium-carbon ultrahigh-strength steels are structural
steels with yield strengths that can exceed 1380 MPa.
Many of these steels are covered by SAE/AISI
designations or are proprietary compositions. Product
forms include billet, bar, rod, forgings, sheet, tubing,
and welding wire.

Classification
Based on application
Bearing steels used for ball and roller bearing applications
are comprised of low carbon (0.10 to 0.20% C) casehardened steels and high carbon (-1.0% C) throughhardened steels. Many of these steels are covered by
SAE/AISI designations.
Chromium-molybdenum heat-resistant steels contain 0.5 to
9% Cr and 0.5 to 1.0% Mo. The carbon content is usually
below 0.2%. The chromium provides improved oxidation
and corrosion resistance, and the molybdenum increases
strength at elevated temperatures. They are generally
supplied in the normalized and tempered, quenched and
tempered or annealed condition. Chromium-molybdenum
steels are widely used in the oil and gas industries and in
fossil fuel and nuclear power plants.

General Application

Low Alloy Steel

Mn steels (13xx)
Chemical composition : 0,3 - 0,45% C, 0,25

- 1% Mn. To gain higher strength &

weldability than mild steel 1,6 1,9 % Mn
High Strength, good hardenability
Application : axle, shaft, gear, tie rod for
automobiles, farm equiptment
Heat treatment : quenching, tempering,
annealing, normalizing

Low Alloy Steel

Mn steels (13xx)
Effect of Mn in strengthening plain carbon

steel :

Solid-solution hardening
Grain size refinement
Increasing proportion of pearlite

Low Alloy Steel

Cr steels (5xxx)
Divided into 3 groups based on their Cr

contents

50xx : 0,40% Cr
51xx : 0,8 1% Cr
52xxx : 1,03% Cr
Carbon contents: 0,2 1,04% C
High strength, hard, high wear resistance,

low ductility

Low Alloy Steel

Cr steels (5xxx)
Application : ball & roller bearing, spring

steel
Susceptible to temper embrittlement
Heat treatment :quenching, tempering,
normalizing, annealing

Low Alloy Steel

Mo steels (4xxx)
Restricted to about 0,25% Mo optimum value
based on experiment
Good hardenability, high strength, good toughness
Application : rear-axle, automatic transmission
components, pinion gear
Heat treatment : quenching, tempering

Others (XXXX)
Please read :
Avners Introduction to Physical Metallurgy
William F. Smiths Structure & Properties
of Engineering Alloy

Low Alloy Steel

Supplements: special low alloy steels
Special and modern low alloy steels
Relatively, it is better than common low

alloy steel for the same class or application

More advance production methods
HSLA steels
TRIP steels
Maraging steels

Low Alloy Steel

Supplements: special low alloy steels

Low Alloy Steel

HSLA steels
High-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steels, or

microalloyed steels, are designed to provide

better mechanical properties and/or greater
resistance to atmospheric corrosion than
conventional/plain carbon steels.
Good formability, fatigue strength and
weldability

Low Alloy Steel

HSLA steels
They are not considered to be alloy steels in

the normal sense because they are designed

to meet specific mechanical properties rather
than a chemical composition (HSLA steels
have yield strengths greater than 275 MPa,
or 40 ksi). The chemical composition of a
specific HSLA steel may vary for different
product thicknesses to meet mechanical
property requirements

Low Alloy Steel

HSLA steels
The HSLA steels in sheet or plate form have

low carbon content (0.05 to 0.25% C) in

order to produce adequate formability and
weldability, and they have manganese
content up to 2.0%. Small quantities of
chromium, nickel, molybdenum, copper,
nitrogen, vanadium, niobium, titanium, and
zirconium are used in various combinations

Low Alloy Steel

HSLA steels Application
Oil and gas pipelines, heavy-duty highway and offroad vehicles, construction and farm machinery,
industrial equipment, storage tanks, mine and
railroad cars, barges and dredges, snowmobiles,
lawn mowers, and passenger car components.
Bridges, offshore structures, power transmission
towers, light poles, and building beams and panels,
structural parts of the vehicle
Material savings by using HSLA for automotive
application = approx. $23/vehicle.
Total = $11,101,714/yr. (AISI 2004)

Low Alloy Steel

HSLA steels Categories
Weathering steels, which contain small amounts of
alloying elements such as copper and phosphorus
for improved atmospheric corrosion resistance and
solid-solution strengthening
Microalloyed ferrite-pearlite steels, which contain
very small (generally, less than 0.10%) additions of
strong carbide or carbonitrideforming elements
such as niobium, vanadium, and/or titanium for
precipitation strengthening, grain refinement, and
possibly transformation temperature control

Low Alloy Steel

HSLA steels Categories
As-rolled pearlitic steels/pearlite-reduced steels,
which may include carbon-manganese steels but
which may also have small additions of other
alloying elements to enhance strength, toughness,
formability, and weldability
Acicular ferrite (low-carbon bainite) steels, which are
low-carbon (less than 0.05% C) steels with an
excellent combination of high yield strengths, (as
high as 690 MPa, or 100 ksi) weldability,
formability,and good toughness

Low Alloy Steel

HSLA steels Categories
Dual-phase steels, which have a microstructure of
martensite dispersed in a ferritic matrix and
provide a good combination of ductility and high
tensile strength
Inclusion-shape-controlled steels, which provide
improved ductility and through-thickness
toughness by the small additions of calcium,
zirconium, or titanium, or perhaps rare earth
elements so that the shape of the sulfide inclusions
is changed from elongated stringers to small,
dispersed, almost spherical globules

Low Alloy Steel

TRIP steels
TRIP (TRansformation Induced Plasticity)

steels are one of the newest family of

advanced high strength steels (AHSS)
developed for the automotive industry.
The steels have a microstructure of soft
ferrite grains with bainite and retained
austenite. The retained austenite transforms
into martensite (a hard phase) during plastic
deformation (like stamping or crash event)
stage.

Low Alloy Steel

TRIP steels
The hard martensite delays the onset of necking
resulting in a product with high total
elongation, excellent formability and high crash
energy absorption. In addition, TRIP steels also
exhibit extremely high fatigue endurance limit,
thereby providing excellent durability
performance
TRIP steels can therefore be engineered or
tailored to provide excellent formability for
manufacturing complex parts. In addition,
these steels can be designed into the automotive
body structure to provide excellent crash energy
absorption.

Low Alloy Steel

TRIP steels
Application: Structural, automotive

Low Alloy Steel

TRIP steels Characteristics
Work hardening As compared with other high strength
steels, TRIP steel displays higher work hardening rate in
entire range of plastic deformation.
Yield point elongation (YPE) - Tested as delivered TRIP
steels usually show YPE; however, some grades may have
no YPE.
Formability Due to high work hardening rate TRIP steel
behaves in a stable way in stamping processes (resistance to
onset necking) and displays remarkably high formability
(high potential to form parts of complex geometry).
Bendability TRIP steel demonstrates good bendabilty. As
a result, product and process design solutions leading to
springback control are easier to implement

Low Alloy Steel

TRIP steels Characteristics
Bake hardening TRIP steels have an excellent
bake-hardening capacity. The increase in the yield
strength in typical paint baking cycle is
approximately 10 ksi (70 MPa).
Product mass reduction capacity TRIP steels
have high potential for part downgauging and
weight reduction.
Fatigue performance TRIP steels have higher
fatigue strength than equivalent conventional
HSLA steels.

Low Alloy Steel

TRIP steels Characteristics
DUAL-TEN Steel
(Dual Phase Steel)

Topic Area

TRIP Steel

Ferrite-martensite

Microstructure

None
Good

Yield Point Elongation

Formability for strength
level
Bake Hardening
Strain Rate Sensitivity
Fatigue
Weldability

Ferrite-bainite-austenite
Yes
Very Good

Excellent
Good
Good
OK

Excellent
Excellent
Good
More difficult than
DUAL-TEN