What effect does manganese have on the properties of steel
Oct. 19, 2020
What effect does manganese have on the properties of steel
Mn can improve the strength of steel: Because Mn is relatively cheap and can be infinitely dissolved with Fe, it has a relatively small impact on plasticity while increasing the strength of steel. Therefore, manganese is widely used as a strengthening element in steel. It can be said that basically all carbon steels contain Mn. Our common stamping mild steel, dual-phase steel (DP steel), transformation induced plasticity steel (TR steel), martensitic steel (MS steel), all contain manganese. Generally, the Mn content in mild steel will not exceed 0.5%; the Mn content in high-strength steel will increase with the increase of the strength level, such as martensitic steel, the Mn content can be as high as 3%.
Mn improves the hardenability of steel and improves the hot workability of steel: typical examples are 40Mn and 40# steel.
Mn can eliminate the influence of S (sulfur): Mn can form high melting point MnS with S in steel smelting, thereby weakening and eliminating the adverse effects of S.
However, the Mn content is also a double-edged sword. The Mn content is not as high as possible. The increase of manganese content will reduce the plasticity and welding performance of steel.
