Spring steel is the name of a series of alloys known for their high elasticity and flexibility. It is commonly used as spring steel for vehicle or industrial suspension, but it is also used as a material for many other items, including:

The product is named for its ability to return to its original state after being subjected to extreme pressure. It can be compressed, bent, stretched and continuously twisted, and will not be deformed in any way, and will return to its original shape. This is because the high yield strength of the alloy is achieved through specific quenching and tempering processes.

It can be formed, formed and post-heat treated. These characteristics make spring steel a reliable general-purpose alloy. Stainless steel spring steel can be martensite or austenite, and is popular because of its resistance to exposure to water or polluted environments.

There are several different types of spring steel, the following will check some of the most commonly purchased:

AISI 301 is an example of austenitic stainless steel spring steel, usually used to transform into forged products. Among austenitic stainless steel spring steels, AISI 301 may have the highest degree of tensile durability. It also has a relatively low basic cost and low implicit energy.

AISI 301 can be formed into 7 main configurations, including full-hard, semi-hard, quarter-hard and annealed.

AISI 1075 is a carbon steel used for springs with high strength, wear resistance and low hardening ability. As far as its implementation in construction is concerned, it is often used to manufacture medium-weight mechanical parts, such as templates, bucket linkages, agricultural machinery parts, bolts, ball mills, press rods, press plates, and briquetting machines.

AISI 1075 is not weldable and has the ability to resist temper embrittlement. It is also prone to decarburization and oxidation during heat treatment.

AISI 1065 is another carbon spring steel known for its low hardening ability. It is commonly used in many products, such as shock absorbers and adjustable washers.

Like 1075, AISI 1065 is not weldable and will be affected by oxidation and decarburization during heat treatment. It is also not immune to atmospheric corrosion.

AISI 1095 is a low-alloy carbon spring steel known for its wear resistance and low hardenability. After heat treatment, they reach the tempered martensitic form.

It can be delivered in various soft conditions and hardened variants. Commonly used in load parts requiring high tensile strength and elasticity such as feeler gauges.

The above lists only the most commonly used varieties of such manufactured components. Although they share many attributes, they all differ in several important ways.

However, no one is inherently better than the other. They are all manufactured and sold because they have value in different applications. Knowing what spring steel you need is the first step in choosing the exact variety that best meets your needs.

Sometimes, the differences between different types of alloys can be very subtle, or at least very subtle in the eyes of non-experts. If you are trying to understand the main differences between materials that make them better or worse in different applications, please don't hesitate to get in touch with a professional industry distributor.

Samantha is a content and political columnist for Australia's best magazine. Before joining Best in Au, she was a court and crime reporter for SM.