If we take a look at the consumption of raw materials for engineering jobs all over the globe and find the raw material with maximum utility, it will be steel. All over the globe, steel is the most used metallic alloy and is used for hundreds of purposes in civil engineering jobs as well as industrial engineering jobs. Steel is also known as the backbone of the industries, in fact, the soundness of an economy can also be determined looking at the steel consumption for construction or industrial purposes.
There are some qualities of this engineering material that make it the chosen one in the industrial engineering field. First of all, steel is eco-friendly as it corrodes or decomposes on its own after some years. Again, it is very strong and can support tons of weight that is prime concern in most civil engineering applications. It does not have a reactive nature with most processes, which could cause hazards in using steel as a raw material. It also has electrical conductivity as well as magnetic properties which are useful for various purposes. Also steel is ductile or wires or rods can be easily made out of steel making it more useful and transferable. Steel does not corrode easily. Apart from this, raw materials for production of steel are also available in abundance, which is a key aspect in determining the success of an engineering material. Various grades and qualities of steel can be produced by varying chemical composition of steel, and use for different engineering jobs.
There are various types of steels used in the industry for engineering jobs, which are classified as per their chemical composition: mild steel, high carbon steel, high speed steel etc. Depending on their strength, durability, and various other characteristics they are used for array of different construction and mechanical engineering products. Because of all these factors and the usability of steel for various purposes, steel is used widely in industrial applications. Even in the next decade or two, it is difficult to think of any other engineering material being able of replacing steel.
