Does the hardness of a steel related with its carbon content?

Question

what is the relation between the wear resistance of a steel and its carbon, chromium and vanadium content? does this relation used in cryogenic treatment to make it still more harder?

Answer 1

Yes ofcourse. The hardness of steel very much assosiated with carbon.

Fo example, Cast Iron is most brittle nature and it break at a very low stress having carbon content more than 2%.

Also, steel itself is catagories into three groups i.e. low carbon steel, medium carbon steel & high carbon steel.

Vanadium is taking a wide role in wear resistance of steel. You can take a example of High Speed Steel.

Answer 2

The more carbon the more harder & thus more wear resistant. The hardness increases linearly with the c content. The V & the Cr also imparts hardness