X46Cr13 is the European Norm name for a common martensitic stainless steel with the numeric name 1.4034. It is equivalent to American Iron and Steel Institute standard 420C. It has the highest carbon content of the SAE 420 series. [1] [2] [3]
X46Cr13 has good workability when hot, and potential to reach high hardness of up to 56 HRC. [4] [5] It contains a moderately high carbon ratio of approximately 0.46% which gives it a good compromise between high hardness and corrosion resistance for many applications. [6] [7] [8] It is also relatively inexpensive to produce.
X46Cr13 is a basic steel without molybdenum, nitrogen or vanadium. It can be outperformed (typically at a higher cost) by more advanced steels like N680 with similar carbon content. [9] [10]
Common uses include:
It is also used in the manufacture of heat treated steel pipes used for CO2 carbon capture and storage. [24] [25] [26] [27]
A commercial variant of X46Cr13 with some Vanadium is known as 420HC and is used in the knife industry because of its ability to hold a superior edge. [28]
An NHTSA recall was issued by Porsche for spherical joints utilized in 2003-2005 Porsche Carrera GT models due to long term intergranular corrosion. [29]
According to EN 10088. [30]
Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon with improved strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels, which are resistant to corrosion and oxidation, typically need an additional 11% chromium. Because of its high tensile strength and low cost, steel is used in buildings, infrastructure, tools, ships, trains, cars, bicycles, machines, electrical appliances, furniture, and weapons.
Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES) and rustless steel, is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 10.5% chromium and usually nickel, and may also contain other elements, such as carbon, to obtain the desired properties. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion results from the chromium, which forms a passive film that can protect the material and self-heal in the presence of oxygen.
Surgical stainless steel is a grade of stainless steel used in biomedical applications. The most common "surgical steels" are austenitic SAE 316 stainless and martensitic SAE 440, SAE 420, and 17-4 stainless steels. There is no formal definition on what constitutes a "surgical stainless steel", so product manufacturers and distributors often apply the term to refer to any grade of corrosion resistant steel.
Martensitic stainless steel is a type of stainless steel alloy that has a martensite crystal structure. It can be hardened and tempered through aging and heat treatment. The other main types of stainless steel are austenitic, ferritic, duplex, and precipitation hardened.
Carbon steel is a steel with carbon content from about 0.05 up to 2.1 percent by weight. The definition of carbon steel from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) states:
Tool steel is any of various carbon steels and alloy steels that are particularly well-suited to be made into tools and tooling, including cutting tools, dies, hand tools, knives, and others. Their suitability comes from their distinctive hardness, resistance to abrasion and deformation, and their ability to hold a cutting edge at elevated temperatures. As a result, tool steels are suited for use in the shaping of other materials, as for example in cutting, machining, stamping, or forging.
High-speed steel is a subset of tool steels, commonly used as cutting tool material.
Maraging steels are steels that are known for possessing superior strength and toughness without losing ductility. Aging refers to the extended heat-treatment process. These steels are a special class of very-low-carbon ultra-high-strength steels that derive their strength not from carbon, but from precipitation of intermetallic compounds. The principal alloying element is 15 to 25 wt% nickel. Secondary alloying elements, which include cobalt, molybdenum and titanium, are added to produce intermetallic precipitates. Original development was carried out on 20 and 25 wt% Ni steels to which small additions of aluminium, titanium, and niobium were made; a rise in the price of cobalt in the late 1970s led to the development of cobalt-free maraging steels.
A kitchen knife is any knife that is intended to be used in food preparation. While much of this work can be accomplished with a few general-purpose knives – notably a large chef's knife, a tough cleaver, a small paring knife and some sort of serrated blade – there are also many specialized knives that are designed for specific tasks. Kitchen knives can be made from several different materials.
In cooking, a chef's knife, also known as a cook's knife, is a cutting tool used in food preparation. The chef's knife was originally designed primarily to slice and disjoint large cuts of beef. Today it is the primary general-utility knife for most Western cooks.
Spyderco is an American cutlery company based in Golden, Colorado, producing knives and knife sharpeners. Spyderco pioneered many features that are now common in folding knives, including the pocket clip, serrations, and the opening hole. Spyderco has collaborated with 30 custom knife makers, athletes, and self-defense instructors for designs and innovated the usage of 20 different blade materials.
Knife making is the process of manufacturing a knife by any one or a combination of processes: stock removal, forging to shape, welded lamination or investment cast. Typical metals used come from the carbon steel, tool, or stainless steel families. Primitive knives have been made from bronze, copper, brass, iron, obsidian, and flint.
The SAE steel grades system is a standard alloy numbering system for steel grades maintained by SAE International.
Alloy steel is steel that is alloyed with a variety of elements in total amounts between 1.0% and 50% by weight to improve its mechanical properties.
CPM S30V is a martensitic (hardened) powder-made (sintered) wear and corrosion-resistant stainless steel developed by Dick Barber of Crucible Industries in collaboration with knifemaker Chris Reeve. Its chemistry promotes the formation and even distribution of vanadium carbides, which are harder and more resistant to abrasion than chromium carbides. The powdered metallurgy process reduces the size of the carbides and gives the steel a very refined grain, further improving toughness. It contains carbon 1.45%, chromium 14.00%, vanadium 4.00%, and molybdenum 2.00%. Barber received feedback from a number of other knife users and knifemakers such as Sal Glesser, Ernest Emerson, Tony Marfione, Phil Wilson, William Harsey Jr., Tom Mayo, Jerry Hossom, and Paul Bos in the development of CPM S30V.
Chromium-vanadium steel is a group of steel alloys incorporating carbon (0.50%), manganese (0.70-0.90%), silicon (0.30%), chromium (0.80-1.10%), and vanadium (0.18%). Some forms can be used as high-speed steel. Chromium and vanadium both make the steel more suitable for hardening. Chromium also helps resist abrasion, oxidation, and corrosion. Chromium and carbon can both improve elasticity.
440C is a martensitic 400 series stainless steel, and has the highest carbon content of the 400 stainless steel series. It can be heat treated to reach hardness of 58 to 60 HRC. It can be used to make rolling contact stainless bearings, e.g. ball bearings and roller bearings. It is also used to make knife blades.
SAE 304 stainless steel is the most common stainless steel. The steel contains both chromium and nickel metals as the main non-iron constituents. It is an austenitic stainless steel, and is therefore not magnetic. It is less electrically and thermally conductive than carbon steel. It has a higher corrosion resistance than regular steel and is widely used because of the ease in which it is formed into various shapes.
Ferritic stainless steel forms one of the five stainless steel families, the other four being austenitic, martensitic, duplex stainless steels, and precipitation hardened. For example, many of AISI 400-series of stainless steels are ferritic steels. By comparison with austenitic types, these are less hardenable by cold working, less weldable, and should not be used at cryogenic temperatures. Some types, like the 430, have excellent corrosion resistance and are very heat tolerant.