MICROALLOYED STEEL BARS ELIMINATE HEAT TREATMENT.

Microalloyed steels contain very small additions (less than 0. 25% of vanadium or columbium - sometimes in combination with a small amount of nitrogen. They differ from alloy steels in that the latter contain substantially higher amounts of various other elements. The chromium, nickel, and molybdenum in alloy steels enable them to through harden in heat treatment. Microalloyed steels, by comparison, do not require heat treatment. Energy conservation is a byproduct. In many cases microalloyed steels are perfectly acceptable alternatives to heat-treated alloy steels especially when they replace carbon or alloy steels heat treated to obtain required strength or hardness. This article explains how the desired properties are obtained with microalloying, cites progress in work to improve the impact toughness of these alloys, and describes several applications for hot rolled, medium carbon steel bars.