High speed steel (HSS or HS) is a subset of tool steels, commonly used in tool bits and cutting tools. It is often used in power saw blades and drill bits. It is superior to the older high carbon steel tools used extensively through the 1940s in that it can withstand higher temperatures without losing its temper (hardness). This property allows HSS to cut faster than high carbon steel, hence the name high speed steel. At room temperature, in their generally recommended heat treatment, HSS grades generally display high hardness (above HRC60) and a high abrasion resistance (generally linked to tungsten and vanadium content often used in HSS) compared to common carbon and tool steels.
Read more about High Speed Steel: History, Types, Coatings, Surface Modification, Applications
Famous quotes containing the words high, speed and/or steel:
“There can be no high civility without a deep morality, though it may not always call itself by that name.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Wait, Kate! You skate at such a rate
You leave behind your skating mate.
Your splendid speed won’t you abate?
He’s lagging far behind you, Kate.”
—David Daiches (b. 1912)
“The finest workers in stone are not copper or steel tools, but the gentle touches of air and water working at their leisure with a liberal allowance of time.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)