The pearlite class of steel is a metal belonging to the low alloyed and medium alloyed type. Most often, such raw materials are used as structural or tool steel. The pearlitic and ferro-pearlitic structure of this material, after passing through annealing or after rolling, lends itself perfectly to processing with any cutting tools.
General description of steel
In order for the pearlite class of steel to have sufficiently high mechanical parameters of operation, it is necessary to harden. Most often, oil is used for this, and you also need to properly conduct the holiday procedure. Thanks to this treatment, it is possible to increase such a parameter as strength, for example, or wear resistance and hardness.
Pearlite steel is distinguished by a minimum content of alloying elements. The average content in marten steel steels, and the largest in austenitic.
Due to the small amount of additives and modifiers, properties such as heat resistance, for example, are also quite small because there is not enough chromium in the composition. It is impossible to use such material with a temperature of more than 550-580 degrees Celsius.
Brands and specifications
The variety of steel grades of pearlite class is not too large, there are about eight in total. Among them are 12X1MF (12XMF), 20X1M1F1TR (EP182) and others. Today, the brand name that comes first is used. The markings in parentheses are old, but they can still be found in some places. It is worth noting that steel of this class with a carbon content of up to 0.35% of the total mass and with the number of alloying elements up to 2-5% is quite popular. The main reason for wide distribution is low cost and relatively good mechanical qualities.
Pearlite grade steel is most often used as a structural material. It is also worth noting that the weldability of steel with a carbon content of up to 0.35% and alloying elements within 3-4% is quite good.
Pearlite Steel Welding
It is worth noting that when welding pearlite class steels, it will be most advantageous to use elements that are used in welding steel with a low alloying coefficient. If manual electric arc welding is used for this, it is best to use electrodes that have a calcium fluoride coating. In this case, high stability of the weld metal against defects such as crystallization, for example, will be ensured. In addition, the strength of the weld will also be quite satisfactory.
As for the welding modes, as well as the temperature that should be used for such a material, it is most advantageous to use those options that are suitable for working with high alloy steel.
For example, if the grade of pearlitic steel is 15XM or 12XM, then the temperature during welding should be about 400-450 degrees Celsius. For work, manual electric arc welding is used. As electrodes, such brands as E42A or a wire of the Sv-08A type are most often selected. As for the tempering procedure after welding, it can be omitted altogether or carried out at a temperature of 630-650 degrees Celsius.