- Carbon (C): With the increase of carbon content, the yield point and tensile strength increase, but the plasticity and impact properties decrease. Too high carbon content is easy to cause unqualified intergranular corrosion. The boundary between steel and iron is controlled by C content: < 2.11% is steel.
- Silicon (SI): Si is a deoxidizer and desulfurizer with high strength and hardness, which can improve the hot working performance of steel.
- Chromium (CR): Chromium can significantly improve the strength, hardness and wear resistance of steel, but reduce plasticity and toughness at the same time.
- Nickel (Ni): Nickel can improve the strength of steel and maintain good plasticity and toughness.
- Molybdenum (MO): Adding molybdenum to steel can improve the mechanical properties of steel.
- Titanium (TI): Titanium is a deoxidizer in steel. Reduce effective sensitivity and cold brittleness. Adding a certain amount of titanium into steel has the ability to resist intergranular corrosion.
- Phosphorus (P): Phosphorus is a harmful element in steel, which increases the cold brittleness of steel, deteriorates the welding performance, reduces the plasticity and deteriorates the cold bending performance. Generally, the lower the phosphorus content in steel, the better.
- Sulfur (S): Sulfur is a harmful element in steel, which makes the steel produce thermal brittleness, reduces the ductility and toughness of the steel, easily causes cracks during forging, and reduces the corrosion resistance of the steel. Therefore, the sulfur content must be controlled as low as possible.
- Nitrogen (N): Nitrogen can improve the strength, low temperature toughness and weldability of steel. Increase effectiveness sensitivity. Proper amount of nitrogen can improve the pitting corrosion resistance and strength of stainless steel.