Steel Flashcards
what is the main use of steel?
rebar - reinforcement bars to resist tensile stresses which could lead to failure in the brittle concrete
describe the process of prestressing steel
high strength steel - pulled at high tension until stretched, placed
in the form for the concrete beam, concrete is cast around them,
after the concrete gains strength and hardens, the cables are
anchored then cut, so it releases that tension that’s built into the
steel cable beck Into the concrete and pre-stresses it in
compression. Add compressive stresses to concrete by having the steel in tension and then cut the tension
what are the two components of steel?
iron and carbon
cast iron has a lot of carbon
steel has low medium and high carbon content
what type of steel do we use most frequently? why?
low carbon steel
more ductile (trade strength for ductility)
we want flexibility and warning before a collapse
more weldable than high carbon
describe the properties of cast iron
brittle and weak in tension
dense and heavy and relatively cheap so used as ballast (weight for stability) or for counter balance
what does the mix of ferrite and cementite make?
pearlite
Ferrite is very big and cementite is very small
GET QUESTIONS FROM MICROSCOPY LAB
describe the different microstructures of low carbon vs high carbon content steels
low carbon: coarse grains, low strength, high ductility, high toughness
high carbon: fine grains, high strength, low ductility, low toughness
what is toughness?
ability to absorb energy
what are three mechanisms to strengthen steel?
1) alloying: introduction of interstitial and substitutional atoms
2) work or strain hardening: generation and concentration of dislocations
3) heat treatment: formation of additional grain boundaries
why do we alloy?
pure iron, without other elements, is too ductile to be used. plain carbon steels are too brittle. so we mix them
Changes properties of the steel not only mechanical but durable as well
Alloying makes it softer and less hard but reduces strength but makes it more machinable
describe alloying and steel weldability
Welding is most effective and least amount of work
alloying promotes hardenability and this causes problems in welding
not all steels can be welded
what is the other method of joining steel members?
bolted connections
work/labour intensive so increases project costs
what are the advantages and disadvantages of work hardening steel?
improves tensile strength, yielding strength ad hardness at the expense of reduced ductility and weldability. so little application in structural steels
explain strain hardening as area under the curve
Area under curve is how much energy is absorbed
Toughness is area under curve
Less toughness in strain hardened
Pink is non strain hardened so more tough because more area
rank wood steel and concrete from most variable to least. how does this affect the phi factor?
wood
concrete
steel
least variable means higher phi factor (steel has 0.9)
what are some processes affecting durability of steel?
Fcfc
fracture, corrosion, fatigue and assisted crackin
what is steel fracture?
a physical separation of a homogeneous piece into separate pieces.
ductile at 45 degrees failure. we prefer ductile steel in order to have warning
what factors affect the mode of failure?
triaxiality, temperature and strain rate
REVIEW CORROSION FROM OTHER FLASHCARDS
describe the corrosion process
an electric circuit is formed (anode and cathode). happens naturally and easier to from when steel is exposed. there are various electrochemical potential differences. electrons move from anode to cathode
what is the first stage of rust?
at the anode, hydrous iron oxides form, the first being ferrous oxide
what is green or black rust?
in situations where oxygen is limited (areas that are fully saturated (underwater)) corrosion may stop at the Fe(OH)2 stage. may not induce cracking of the concrete cover but the steel may completely disintegrate. rust dissolves in water.
what happens to steel rust above water?
ferric rust. lots of oxygen available and steel will expand and cause stresses in concrete
corrosion depends on availability of oxygen, on availability of moisture and on factors affecting the maintenance of the electrochemical cells