Some people who are engaged in certain activities (for example, professional chefs, tourists) pay special attention to the choice of a tool such as a knife. Steel, from which it is made, differs in its brands, additional elements that make up its composition, hardness. Therefore, many are interested in the question: what kind of steel is better for a knife?
Characteristics of steel for knives
The quality of the knives is directly affected by its following characteristics:
- The hardness of steel for knives . It can be referred to as the ability of the alloy to withstand indentation or scratching, which can turn out to be a harder material. As a rule, knife blades have a hardness of 40-60 HRC. It is most preferable to choose a knife that will have a hardness in the range of 50-60 HRC.
- Strength of steel - this term indicates a limit, exceeding which leads to deformation or even destruction of the blade. Based on this concept, the knife's characteristics, such as ductility and brittleness, are also determined. A plastic article can be prone to deformation, changing its shape, but not breaking down. The fragile material will be destroyed even with a slight deformation.
- Wear resistance of steel . It is the ability to retain the shape of a blade that is exposed to friction. Wear resistance is directly related to the hardness of steel. It is higher the harder the knife.
What steel is better to buy a knife?
Steel consists of iron and carbon, which can be contained in high, medium or low quantities. In addition, its composition can include additional chemical elements - it can be chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, nickel, manganese, silicon.
In order to decide which of the best to buy a knife, it is necessary to study its individual characteristics.
Many knives are made from spring steel. It has these characteristics:
- good flexibility;
- impact strength;
- high hardness;
- the presence of such additional chemical elements as manganese, chromium, silicon, nickel.
The disadvantages of the material include a high tendency to corrosion.
Knives from spring steel can be called universal: among them there are kitchen, and tourist , and army.
The most popular is the laminated steel for knives. Typically, such a knife blade consists of a core, for the production of which a harder high-carbon steel is used, and a double-sided lining of a different, more viscous steel.
Steel grades for knives
Stamps of knife steel are primarily characterized by the presence of chromium in them. It is added in order to increase the resistance of the corrosion alloy, the knife is less covered with rust. But at the same time, chromium is inherent in lowering the strength of steel, so it is added in certain amounts.
The most common brands of steel are subject to the following conditional division into three groups:
- Blade blades, which have the greatest resistance to corrosion, are also characterized by good wear resistance - they include AUS6, 7Cr17MoV, 65x3, Sandvik 12C27.
- Knife blades made of steel, which has high resistance and durability - these are the brands AUS8, 440B, 95x18, Sandvik 19C27, Sandvik 13C26.
- Blades that are characterized by good resistance to corrosion and the greatest of all knives are wear-resistant - they include steel grade 154CM / ATS-34, VG-10, AUS10, 440C.
Having studied the individual properties of steel for knives, you can choose for yourself the best for you.