Steel
Steel turns up in 2 fields: building, metallurgy. Here is what it means to the people in each one.
Steel in building
Structural steel components used to frame or reinforce a building.
In construction shorthand, steel refers to the structural beams, columns, girders, and rebar used on a project. Ironworkers and framers use the term to distinguish the heavy metal skeleton of a building from the concrete, timber, or masonry elements. It dictates the sequence of trades on a commercial site.
"The concrete is poured, so the crane is showing up Tuesday to start hanging the steel."
Steel in metallurgy
A strong and malleable alloy of iron and carbon used extensively in structures and tooling.
An alloy consisting primarily of iron with a small, controlled percentage of carbon, usually between 0.02 and 2.1 percent by weight. The carbon acts as a hardening agent, preventing dislocations in the iron crystal lattice from sliding past one another. Additional alloying elements like manganese, chromium, nickel, and molybdenum are added to impart specific properties such as hardenability, corrosion resistance, and tensile strength.
"We need to spec a low-carbon steel for this bracket so it forms without cracking."