Among the types of steel, mild steel is used widely. In fact, it is the most commonly used steel in the manufacturing industry. You may be thinking about the use of mild steel, whether it suits your work or not?
For your information, mild steel can be used for various purposes. Besides, it depends on the type of metalwork you are doing and can be largely related to the usage of mild steel.
This article describes the different applications of mild steel. Surely, you will be benefited from the overview of the matter.
Let’s get started.
What mild steel is?
Mild steel is the type of steel where the carbon range is very low. Accordingly, the amount of carbon in mild steel found is 0.05% to 0.25% in the weight proportion.
On the contrary, it is seen that high carbon steel holds carbon in the range of 0.30% to 2.0%. Due to the low carbon amount, mild steel is also known as “low carbon steel”.
Mild steel is ductile in nature due to low carbon. Also, it can also be magnetic with a high iron amount. As it is not an alloy, therefore it contains several elements alongside iron.
Adding to this, mild steel is used for various different applications. The nail industry, wire, car industry, furniture industry, etc. are common examples that use mild steel for their product.
What’s the use of mild steel?
Previously, you have come to know that mild steel is widely used. Besides, different industries are running on the basis of mild steel. They use mild steel for making their products. Mild steel is a very common material in the case of structural industries.
However, different types of machinery bases are also made of mild steel. Along with that, it has a huge impact on the casting industries also.
The most common usages of mild steel are given below:
Structure building
You can use mild steel for construction structures. For example, mild steel frames are very commonly used by construction sides as a frame material.
Mild steel provides very good strength quality. Based on this, these steel beams are greatly used in the construction industry.
Mild steel for making fences and gates
Mild steel is used for making gates and fences. You can use this steel gate for your home to ensure proper safety.
Mild steel gates are hard to break due to their strength. Along with that, it can be galvanized to avoid corrosion. Adding to this, galvanization gives a good finish and decorations to the gates made.
Building machinery parts
Mild steel can be very hard and gives greater strength than most other materials. For this, manufacturers prefer to use mild steel for making different parts in machines.
Accordingly, it is commonly seen that the base of maximum machines like lathe, drilling machines, milling machines, etc are made of mild steel. Besides, mild steel holds malleable properties for which it is used for making car body parts and other machinery parts also.
Application in pipeline industries
This steel can be rolled and made into tubes. Following through, mild steel is used for making different types of pipes of different shapes and sizes.
Accordingly, mild steel pipes are very ductile, can be welded easily, and can hold very good strength. As a result, mild steel pipes are not easy to break and can bear extreme pressure.
Structural steel application
Mild steel can be used to make structural steel. These structural steel are made by manufacturers to use in small structural applications.
Wire and nail making
It is commonly seen that wires made for making nails are usually made of mild steel. These wires can be of different shapes and sizes. You can use the mild steel wire to make different types of nails using a nail-making machine.
Is carbon steel better than mild steel?
Carbon steel can be better than mild steel in many aspects. Opposite to this, carbon steel can also be preferable depending on the application. The facts why carbon steel can be better than mild steel is given below.
- Carbon steel contains a higher amount of carbon than mild steel.
- Carbon steels are stronger and more brittle than mild steel.
- In the case of heat treatment, carbon steel can undergo very easily, whereas mild steel heat treatments are not possible.
What gas is used for MIG welding mild steel?
Mild steel welding can be done very easily and most welding processes can be used. Among them, MIG welding is very much preferable for welding mild steel specimens. It is because MIG gives the best finish for mild steel.
Moreover, the gas combination of welding plays a vital role to produce good quality welds. Carbon dioxide and carbon-argon gas mixture is commonly used for MIG welding of mild steel.
Accordingly, 100% Carbon dioxide gas and 25-75% mixture of Carbon-Argon gas combination is preferable by welders.
What kind of shielding gas is used for mild steel MIG?
Previously, you have come to know about the gas needed for MIG welding of mild steel. Similarly, as a shielding gas, 75% Argon gas along with 25% Carbon combination is usually used for MIG Mild steel welding. Though it is not so cheap, it is preferred by welders for a good finish and also to keep the perfect balance between quality and cost.
Conclusion
Mild steel is very well known among steel for its high strength quality. Besides, this sort of steel is cheaper in cost. Along with this, it can be easily used for welding purposes.
Therefore, mild steel is widely used in many industries for various types of work. You can take advantage of the variety of applications mentioned in the article and use mild steel when required.
This article also gives an overview of mild steel welding with MIG and the necessary gas composition needed for this.