Steel. Whenever we hear it, we get the image of strength and durability. But what is steel? Steel is basically iron that has none of the impurities that pollute it and has a consistent amount of carbon along it. The greatest thing about steel is that, this is one alloy that has multiple uses. Steel can be used for marine stainless steel products, jewellery chain accessories as well as steel chain & wire rope. Moreover, you can create different types of steel for different purposes.
Do not think that the same steel that is used for jewellery chain accessories is used for steel chain & wire rope. The difference is that different types of steel come from different metals that are introduced into the alloy. For example, for stainless steel, a substantial amount of chromium is added to the mix. This chromium forms a thin layer of chromium oxide on the metal surface that protects the metal from rust, thus giving us ‘stainless’ steel.
Speaking of different types of steels, did you know that there are different types of steel chains as well? Steel chain & wire rope are a common sight wherever there is heavy lifting involved. But the two are very different in their appearance. The wire rope can tolerate quite a bit of wear and tear and even if several wires break within the rope, the rope is still functional, provided all the breaks are not in a concentrated area. In steel ropes on the other hand, a breakage in even a single link is enough to discard the entire chain. Even so, there are many functions where chains are preferred to ropes.
When you consider steel chains, there are primarily three types out there: grad 70, grad 80 and grade 100. The grade 70 is the kind that is used as tie-downs over the road trailers and not meant for overhead lifting. It is painted bright gold to make the distinction. The grade 80 and 100 are both meant for overhead lifting, the 100 is just more advanced providing 25% higher work load limits.
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