At Pulmans, we love mild steel. Some people might think its odd to
love this low carbon iron alloy, but when you take a look at the world
around you and imagine what it would be like without mild steel, it
becomes easy to appreciate.
There are countless reasons why mild
steel is such a wonderful metal, but just to give you a glimpse into its
beneficial properties, here are 5 of them.
1. Cost effectiveness
Mild steel is the least expensive type of steel. Sure, it doesnt have
the tensile strength of some other steels, but its more than strong
enough for most applications in many, many industries such as the
production of automobiles and machinery, building construction, gates
and railings, concrete reinforcement, bridges and much, much more.
2. Weldability
Weldability is huge when it comes to how useful a metal is. Since
metals cant really be glued, welding is one of the best ways of
attaching one piece of metal to another. Thanks to its
electro-conductivity, mild steel is much easier and more effective to
weld than other metals, making it well-suited for a much greater range
of applications.
3. Ductility
Ductility
refers to a materials pliability. If a material is ductile, it is able
to bend and flex without breaking or being permanently deformed. This is
important for absorbing stresses and as far as materials go, mild steel
has some pretty impressive ductility, and is able to absorb very large
forces before reverting back to its original shape.
4. Strength
While all steel is strong, mild steel has a lower tensile strength when
compared to other more expensive steels. This means its more likely to
break under tension. However, through carburisation, mild steel can be
hardened and the tensile strength can be increased. Carburisation is a
process in which the steel is heated and then quickly cooled by
quenching in water. This process removes some of the carbon from the
surface of the steel whilst the core remains soft and tough. This is an
effective and way to improve the strength of mild steel but still keeps
the cost lower than many other types of steel. Even without
carburisation, mild steel is remarkably strong, and its this strength
that makes mild steel ideal for so many uses.
5. Recyclability
One of our favourite things about mild steel (and any other type of
steel for that matter) is its recyclability. Steel can be melted and
reformed an infinite number of times without affecting its quality,
making it the material that just keeps giving!
When you think
about it, its really no surprise that mild steel is the most commonly
used type of steel. If youre like us and youre a fan of mild steel,
make sure youve got our number saved! We have a comprehensive range of
stock available along with in-house sawing, profiling and machining
processes
and we can deliver everything on our made of mild steel
wagons!