Low-carbon pearlitic-manganese steel, heat-treated, will give dynamic strength which cannot be equaled by low-priced and necessarily low-content nickel steels. In many instances, it is preferable to use high-grade manganese steel, rather than low-content nickel steel.
High-manganese steels or austenite manganese steels are used for a variety of purposes where great resistance to abrasion is required, the percentage of manganese being from 11 to 14 per cent, and carbon 1 to 1.5 per cent. This steel is practically valueless unless heat-treated; that is, heated to about yellow red and quenched in ice water. The structure is then austenite and the air-cooled structure of this steel is martensite. Therefore this steel has to be heated and very rapidly cooled to obtain the ductile austenite structure.
Manganese between 2 and 7 per cent is a very brittle material when the carbon is about 1 per cent or higher and is, therefore, quite valueless. Below 2 per cent manganese steel low in carbon is very ductile and tough steel.
The high-content manganese steels are known as the "Hadfield manganese steels," having been developed by Sir Robert Hadfield. Small additions of chrome up to 1 per cent increase the elastic limit of low-carbon pearlitic-manganese steels without affecting the steel in its resistance to shock, but materially decrease the percentage of elongation.
Vanadium added to low-carbon pearlitic manganese steel has a very marked effect, increasing greatly the dynamic strength and changing slightly the susceptibility of this steel to heat treatments, giving a greater margin for the hardening temperature. Manganese steel with added vanadium is most efficient when heat-treated.
TUNGSTEN
Tungsten, as an alloy in steel, has been known and used for a long time. The celebrated and ancient damascus steel being a form of tungsten-alloy steel. Tungsten and its effects, however, did not become generally realized until Robert Mushet experimented and developed his famous mushet steel and the many improvement made since that date go to prove how little Mushet himself understood the peculiar effects of tungsten as an alloy.
Tungsten acts on steel in a similar manner to carbon, that is, it increases its hardness, but is much less effective than carbon in this respect. If the percentage of tungsten and manganese is high, the steel will be hard after cooling in the air. This is impossible in a carbon steel. It was this combination that Mushet used in his well-known "air-hardening" steel.
The principal use of tungsten is in high-speed tool steel, but here a high percentage of manganese is distinctly detrimental, making the steel liable to fire crack, very brittle and weak in the body, less easily forged and annealed. Manganese should be kept low and a high percentage of chromium used instead.
Tools of tungsten-chromium steels, when hardened, retain their hardness, even when heated to a dark cherry red by the friction of the cutting or the heat arising from the chips. This characteristic led to the term "red-hardness," and it is this property that has made possible the use of very high cutting speeds in tools made of the tungsten-chromium alloy, that is, "high-speed" steel.