As it turned out, if you are faced with the need to get acquainted with the main characteristics of a steel in the shortest possible time, in our immense and omniscient Internet there is only a couple of articles in which the information you need will be described in a language that is easy to understand, and not clippings from the relevant GOSTs and other documents whose narration language will be understood only by graduates of higher educational institutions. With this article we will try to tip the scales towards simplicity and accessibility. It will be about steel C345. We urge you to be careful. We begin.
Appointment
For a better understanding, it is worth explaining first why this steel grade is actually used. In fact, everything is outrageously simple and understandable. Steel C345 - construction, as the letter āCā helpfully reminds us of, structural. Additionally, you can call this steel carbon, which is partially true, and low alloy, which is already somewhat controversial. However, this should be discussed a bit later.
Where and why is C345 steel used? Based on the name, you can immediately understand that it is most often found on construction sites, and in large quantities. It acts as the main material for the manufacture of metal structures, both welded and prefabricated.
From the foregoing, it also becomes clear in what form the steel falls on the aforementioned construction object. According to GOST 27772-88, steel is produced in the form of:
- equal and unequal corner;
- channels;
- I-beams;
- sheet metal.
Composition
Thanks to the same GOST, we can also find out the chemical composition of steel. The average content of alloying elements in the alloy is:
- carbon - 0.15%;
- silicon - 0.8%;
- Manganese - 1.5%;
- nickel - 0.3%;
- chromium - 0.3%;
- copper - 0.3%;
- sulfur - 0.04%;
- phosphorus - 0.035%;
- nitrogen - 0.012%.
As you can see, the chemical composition of C345 steel is very varied and includes 9 elements. Based on this, it can be assumed that this steel cannot be called low alloyed. However, it is worth noting that the percentage of elements, with the possible exception of manganese and silicon, does not exceed half a percent. That is why you will be right if you call this brand low-alloyed.
S345 steel: characteristics
The physical properties of steel directly depend on its chemical composition. And in the case of C345, the influence of impurities on the structure of the steel is so insignificant that we cannot speak of any outstanding properties. A small amount of carbon makes steel relatively soft and ductile, and therefore less durable. The situation is slightly corrected by manganese and silicon, which favorably affect the strength and overall hardness of the alloy, without reducing the toughness and ductility. Impurities of nickel, chromium and copper as a whole slightly improve the resistance of steel to the external environment, which, however, does not prevent it from oxidizing in air with the formation of rust.
If we talk about C345 steel as a whole, then it is mild (an average of only 22 units of the Rockwell scale), ductile, easily machined and just as easily welded steel, which has a good structure. She is not prone to the formation of internal defects and a number of undesirable moments.
Analogs
It's no secret that steel is needed everywhere. And for many countries it is much cheaper to smelter steel at home than to import from abroad. That is why today there are so many different grades of steel. However, there are those whose composition is not much different from each other or completely identical. Steel grade C345 also has analogues. Here is a short list of them:
- United States - GR.50Type1-4.
- Europe - 1.0570.
- Japan - SM490.
- China - 16Mn.
This is the name used by steels similar to C345. Knowing them, you can easily find a product from the steel you need anywhere in the world, as the above-mentioned brands often float around the globe.