In its purest form, iron is neither exceptionally strong nor hard - in fact, a block of pure iron could be cut with a knife. The addition of carbon and the removal of oxygen are what give iron-based ...

Steels that contain specified amounts of alloying elements -- other than carbon and the commonly accepted amounts of manganese, copper, silicon, sulfur, and phosphorus -- are known as alloy steels.

Alloy steels comprise different kinds of steels which exceed the composition limits of Mn, C, Mo, Si, Ni, Va, and B set for carbon steels. They respond well to mechanical and heat treatments. They are ...