Industrially Significant Elements and Compounds of Steel Term Paper

Industrially Significant Elements and Compounds of Steel - Term Paper Example Carbon is found in large quantities from wood and coal (Hall, 1997). According to Hall (1997), Iron is mixed with carbon to form either steel or cast iron. Iron ore immediately extracted from the ground is rich in iron content or is concentrated. The concentration is then reduced in a blast furnace by the use of coke and limestone flux. The resulting product from the furnace is called pig iron. Pig iron is strong enough to be molded into various c shapes. Cast iron and its different types are produced at the foundry industries. The different types of cast iron produced at foundry industries include ductile iron, gray iron, and malleable iron. However, a larger percentage of cast iron is further refined to produce steel. Steel is the major metal consumed in large quantities around the world. Industrially Significant Elements and Compounds Steel is classified into three categories known as carbon steel, stainless steel, and alloy steel. However, all steels are seen as being alloys. Ste els are categorized as alloys because they contain other metals apart from manganese, silicon and phosphorous. These compounds are introduced as deliberate additions to the iron and carbon mixture (Hall, 1997). According to Hall (1997), Carbon steel varies on the ability of strength, how easily they can be welded and how easily they can be formed as well as their ability to be used in the formation of machines. Carbon steels are produced according to the range of quality. This is due to the level of certain element concentration. However, all carbon steel can rust if exposed to air, salts, and acids. Further, when carbon steel is bound to be exposed to some corrosive materials, they can be coated with paint or epoxy. Other metals can also be used to coat carbon to prevent any effects caused by corrosive materials. Currently, the readily available metal coatings of steal include zinc and another compound of zinc or aluminum. These steel metal coatings are used in the food and beverag e industries for safety measures. Another important element of steel to be considered is stainless steel.