
Ferrous alloys 209
Mild steel is a general purpose steel and is used where hardness and tensile
strength are not the most important requirements. Typical applications are
sections for use as joists in buildings, bodywork for cars and ships, screws,
nails,
wire. Medium-carbon steel is used for agricultural tools, fasteners,
dynamo and motor shafts, crankshafts, connecting rods, gears. High-carbon
steel is used for withstanding wear, where hardness is a more necessary
requirement than ductility. It is used for machine tools, saws, hammers, cold
chisels, punches, axes, dies, taps, drills, razors. The main use of high-carbon
steel is thus as a