The Working of Steel

Working of Steel, by Fred H.
Colvin and A. Juthe

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Title: The Working of Steel Annealing, Heat Treating and Hardening of
Carbon and Alloy Steel
Author: Fred H. Colvin A. Juthe
Release Date: January 4, 2007 [EBook #20282]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE
WORKING OF STEEL ***

Produced by Robert J. Hall

THE
WORKING OF STEEL

ANNEALING, HEAT TREATING
AND
HARDENING OF CARBON AND ALLOY STEEL
BY
FRED H. COLVIN
Member American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Franklin
Institute; Editor of the American Machinist, Author of "Machine Shop
Arithmetic," "Machine Shop Calculations," "American Machinists'
Hand Book."
AND
K. A. JUTHE, M.E.
Chief Engineer, American Metallurgical Corp. Member American
Society Mechanical Engineers, American Society Testing Materials,
Heat Treatment Association, Etc.
SECOND EDITION
THIRD IMPRESSION
McGRAW-HILL BOOK COMPANY, Inc.
NEW YORK: 370 SEVENTH AVENUE
LONDON: 6 & 8 BOUVERIE ST., E. C. 4

PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION
Advantage has been taken of a reprinting to revise, extensively, the
portions of the book relating to the modern science of metallography.
Considerable of the matter relating to the influence of chemical

composition upon the properties of alloy steels has been rewritten.
Furthermore, opportunity has been taken to include some brief notes on
methods of physical testing--whereby the metallurgist judges of the
excellence of his metal in advance of its actual performance in service.
NEW YORK, N. Y.,
August, 1922.

PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION
The ever increasing uses of steel in all industries and the necessity of
securing the best results with the material used, make a knowledge of
the proper working of steel more important than ever before. For it is
not alone the quality of the steel itself or the alloys used in its
composition, but the proper working or treatment of the steel which
determines whether or not the best possible use has been made of it.
With this in mind, the authors have drawn, not only from their own
experience but from the best sources available, information as to the
most approved methods of working the various kinds of steel now in
commercial use. These include low carbon, high carbon and alloy steels
of various kinds, and from a variety of industries. The automotive field
has done much to develop not only new alloys but efficient methods of
working them and has been drawn on liberally so as to show the best
practice. The practice in government arsenals on steels used in fire
arms is also given.
While not intended as a treatise on steel making or metallurgy in any
sense, it has seemed best to include a little information as to the making
of different steels and to give considerable general information which it
is believed will be helpful to those who desire to become familiar with
the most modern methods of working steel.
It is with the hope that this volume, which has endeavored to give due
credit to all sources of information, may prove of value to its readers
and through them to the industry at large.

July, 1921.
THE AUTHORS.

CONTENTS
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER I.
STEEL MAKING II. COMPOSITION AND PROPERTIES OF
STEELS III. ALLOYS AND THEIR EFFECT UPON STEEL IV.
APPLICATION OF LIBERTY ENGINE MATERIALS TO THE
AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY V. THE FORGING OF STEEL VI.
ANNEALING VII. CASE-HARDENING OR
SURFACE-CARBURIZING VIII. HEAT TREATMENT OF STEEL
IX. HARDENING CARBON STEEL FOR TOOLS X. HIGH SPEED
STEEL XI. FURNACES XII. PYROMETRY AND PYROMETERS
APPENDIX
INDEX

INTRODUCTION
THE ABC OF IRON AND STEEL
In spite of all that has been written about iron and steel there are many
hazy notions in the minds of many mechanics regarding them. It is not
always clear as to just what makes the difference between iron and steel.
We know that high-carbon steel makes a better cutting tool than
low-carbon steel. And yet carbon alone does not make all the difference
because we know that cast iron has more carbon than tool steel and yet

it does not make a good cutting tool.
Pig iron or cast iron has from 3 to 5 per cent carbon, while good tool
steel rarely has more than 1-1/4 per cent of carbon, yet one is soft and
has a coarse grain, while the other has a fine grain and can be hardened
by heating and dipping in water. Most of the carbon in cast iron is in a
form like graphite, which is almost pure carbon, and