Semi-steel is not actually a true form of steel by industry classification, but instead is a high-grade form of iron. Semi-steel casting is a lower-cost method to produce a casting that is not quite as strong as a steel casting but less expensive to manufacture. It is made by combining scrap iron along with scrap steel, usually in a cupola furnace where cast iron and bronze metals are refined. It was used more commonly as a marketing term. Semi-steel features easy castability, low cost, and machinability, just as cast iron does. It also has added strength, impact resistance, and ductility from the steel.
Semisteel is a cast iron of low carbon content made by replacing part (as one fourth) of the pig iron in the cupola charge by steel scrap. The carbon and silicon percentages are reduced to the amount approximately consistent with those in steel. The casting of semi-steel can result in various grades of the product depending on the quality of steel and iron used, as well as the level of heat treating in the furnace to purify the end product. This is done using pig iron or gray iron casting scrap and reducing the amount of carbon through the addition of relatively pure steel or wrought iron scrap in a well-heated cupola furnace. The percentage of carbon is typically between foundry cast iron and wrought iron.
Custom manufacturer of semi-steel castings. Various types include ceramic, cope and drag, plaster, rubber, and shell casting molds. If you’re looking for an industrial or heavy-duty caster, you’ve no doubt come across the term Semi-Steel. As it turns out, semi-steel is actually a type of cast iron, with steel scrap thrown in the mixture for good measure. Various capabilities include grinding, welding, sawing, lathe work, assembly, engineering, finishing, repair, and inspection. In fact, most semi-steel has quite a bit of steel scrap in it. The result is an alloy that is excellent for use as casters, for a variety of reasons. Their heavy-duty, durable properties make casters able to stand up to weights of 800 to 1,200 pounds each over long periods of time.
6-pounder and 12-pounder Wiard rifles designed by Norman Wiard and used in the American Civil War (1861–1865) were made of semi-steel (puddled wrought iron). The production of semi-steel has taken place since at least the mid-1800s when pig iron casting was more commonly done to produce wrought iron fences and other commercial products.
