Equivalent carbon content 1817055 204171679 2008-04-08T07:38:20Z 213.23.243.67 The '''equivalent carbon content''' of a [[steel]] [[alloy]] refers to method of measuring the maximum [[hardness]] and the [[weldability]] of the alloy based on the chemical composition of the alloy. Higher concentrations of carbon and other alloying elements such as [[manganese]], [[chromium]], [[silicon]], [[molybdenum]], [[vanadium]], [[copper]], and [[nickel]] tend to increase the hardness and decrease the weldability of the material. Each of these materials tends to influence the hardness and weldability of the steel to different magnitudes, however, making a method of comparison necessary to judge the difference in hardness between two alloys made of different alloying elements. The equivalent carbon content is the most common such standard, but others exist, such as the [[Schaeffler-Delong diagram|equivalent nickel content]] and the [[Schaeffler-Delong diagram|equivalent chromium content]] (usually used together and in conjunction with the [[Schaeffler-Delong diagram]] and considered more accurate for measuring weldability). A commonly used formula for calculating the equivalent carbon content is: :<math>E_c = \%C + \left(\frac{\%Mn+\%Si}{6} \right) + \left(\frac{\%Cr+%Mo+\%V}{5} \right) + \left(\frac{\%Cu+\%Ni}{15} \right)</math> The resulting equivalent carbon coefficient allows the alloy to be categorized alongside plain [[carbon steel]]s, and have their weldability and hardness properties compared with them. ==References== *Lincoln Electric ([[1994]]). ''The Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding''. [[Cleveland]]: Lincoln Electric. ISBN 99949-25-82-2. (Page 3.3-3) *Weman, Klas ([[2003]]). ''Welding processes handbook''. [[New York]]: CRC Press LLC. ISBN 0-8493-1773-8. [[Category:Steel]] [[Category:Metallurgy]] [[Category:Welding]] {{science-stub}} [[de:Kohlenstoffäquivalent]] [[ja:炭素当量]]