Alloy steel

Alloy steel contains a range or minimum amount of elements such as nickel, molybdenum, chromium, vanadium, etc. and is specified by adding these elements to obtain an alloying effect. Alloy steel bars and plates are generally given some type of appropriate thermal processing such as annealing or quench and tempering.  The addition of alloying elements increases the alloy bar’s or plate’s hardenability (note: alloying elements do not make the metal harder just by their existence in metal, but rather increase the depth to which the alloy bar or alloy plate can be hardened by appropriate heat treatment).  

The proper alloy can also provide improved fatigue strength in addition to increased wear and toughness. Alloy metals have the potential to achieve superior combinations of properties not attainable with other metals.  

Charity Steel offers alloy bars as Cold Drawn or Hot Rolled. They are typically annealed or heat treated, quenched and tempered. Heat treating attains required mechanical properties, typically at the expense of machinability. Heat treated bars are often stress relieved. Alloy has the ability to increase hardenability through heat treating. This makes it possible to obtain desired mechanical properties in larger sections. Some of the grades that Charity Steel stocks include 4140, 4150, 4340, 52100, 6150, 86L20, 8620, and ETD 150.