AISI 5160 Steel 

AISI 5160 is a type of alloy steel, which means that it contains certain types of elements and compounds, such as chromium, vanadium, silicon, boron, manganese, and others.

An image of multiple AISI 5160 steels stacked up

You can consider AISI 5160 spring steel as a type of alloyed steel that contains high levels of carbon and chromium, therefore, it can offer astonishing levels of toughness, strength, and durability.

Chemical Composition per ASTM A29

GRADE	C	Si	Mn	P	S	Cr
5160	0.56-0.64	0.15-0.35	0.75-1.00	≤ 0.035	≤ 0.040	0.70-0.90

AISI 5160 Mechanical Properties

Mechanical properties are defined as physical properties that the material – or in this case – steel is able to exhibit in the presence of forces.

Here are the mechanical properties of the AISI 5160 spring steel:

Properties	Metric	Imperial
Tensile Strength, Ultimate	724 MPa	105000 psi
Tensile Strength, Yield	275 MPa	39900 psi
Machinability (Spheroidized Annealed And Cold Drawn. Based On 100% Machinability For AISI 1212 Steel)	55	55
Modulus Of Elasticity	190-210 GPa	27557-30458 ksi
Bulk Modulus (Typical For Steel)	140 GPa	20300 ksi
Shear Modulus (Typical For Steels)	80 GPa	11600 ksi
Poisson’s Ratio	0.27 – 0.30	0.27-0.30
Elongation At Break (In 50Mm)	17.20%	17.20%
Hardness, Rockwell B (Converted From Brinell Hardness)	92	92
Hardness, Rockwell C (Converted From Brinell Hardness, Value Below Normal; HRC Range, For Comparison Purposes Only)	13	13
Hardness, Vickers (Converted From Brinell Hardness)	207	207
Hardness, Brinell	197	197
Hardness, Knoop (Converted From Brinell Hardness)	219	219

This is the table that discusses all the mechanical properties that the AISI 5160 spring steel has.

What Are the Applications of AISI 5160 Steel?

Although dubbed as spring steel, AISI 5160 is a type of steel that’s often used in applications that do not require much strength, but would need a hefty dose of ductility and flexibility.

AISI 5160 steel applications

They wouldn’t be called spring steel for no reason – in fact, they’re widely used in the automotive and the aerospace sectors!

In addition to that, you can also make use of the AISI 5160 steel in building bumpers, scrapers, fasteners, and other types of springs and suspensions!

AISI 5160 Spring Steel Physical Properties

Why are there physical properties if mechanical properties are already physical properties? But, they’re not actually the same.

Physical properties are the properties that are measurable in their own sense. Mechanical properties, on the other hand, are the properties when force is applied to them.

So, technically, they’re different in a sense that mechanical properties are the properties in which force is applied.

The density of 5160 spring steel in the metric system is at 7.85 g/cm3. On the imperial scale, on the other hand, is at 0.284 lb/in3.

You might be thinking, what about the other physical properties? Ideally, when it comes to steel, density is the only physical property because others would be in different categories.

AISI 5160 Equivalent Grade

The equivalent grades are the steels that are almost the same as the steel in question in different standards.

	Standard	Grade
United States (U.S.)	AISI SAE; ASTM A29/A29M; ASTM A322	5160 (G51600)
Germany
China	GB/T 1222	60CrMn
Japan	JIS G4801	SUP9A

Are these different variations the same exact type of steel? No, it does not necessarily mean that they’re the same all the way through.

There’ll still be differences, especially with the composition and the percentages of the elements.

AISI 5160 Steel Chemical Composition

Chemical composition simply is the list that displays the different chemicals, as well as the amount of it present in the specific or the particular steel.

NOTE: You’ll see ranges of these chemicals, not exactly a particular amount. This is due to the fact that there could be no exact measurement on it – but, a rough figure or estimate would do.

Element	Content (%)
Iron, Fe	97.085 – 97.84
Manganese, Mn	0.750 – 1
Chromium, Cr	0.7 – 0.9
Carbon, C	0.560 – 0.640
Phosphorous, P	≤ 0.0350
Silicon, Si	0.150 – 0.3
Sulfur, S	≤ 0.04

AISI 5160 Machinability

Machinability is a material or a product’s characteristic of being easily machined.

AISI 5160 being machined

This can include a wide variety of machines and equipment, such as drills, grinders, cutters, dies, rollers, and many more!

The machinability of AISI 5160 in its rolled condition would be difficult. So, it should undergo the procedure of annealing before the machining procedure so that you can get the best, fastest, and the maximum speeds.

AISI 5160 Forging

Forging is a steelwork process done to shape and form molten steel into a solid part or component.

In forging AISI 5160 spring steel, you would need to achieve temperatures in the range between 2100 and 2200 degrees Fahrenheit, or just about 1149 – 1204 degrees Celsius.

AISI 5160 Weldability

AISI 5160 is a type of steel that contains high levels of carbon and chrome, putting it in the category of one of the hardest steels.

Therefore, AISI 5160 spring steel has poor welding properties. You can choose to utilize gas or arc welding methods to be able to successfully weld it.

AISI 5160 Heat Treatment

Heat treatment is a procedure that aims to help in hardening steel. With AISI 5160, it’s usually hardened using oil.

For the heat treatment process, the steel is quenched at 1525 degrees Fahrenheit or 829 degrees Celsius. It’s then tempered at about 800 to 1300 degrees Fahrenheit or 427 to 704 degrees Celsius.

AISI 5160 Annealing

Most steels, when they get out of the forging chambers, are going to be hard and brittle. Yes, they’ll be hard and strong, but they might be damaged or dented easily.

That is the reason why the process of annealing is important. Annealing is a process that changes or alters the structure and microstructure of a given material, causing it to change the electrical or the mechanical properties of it.

The primary goal of annealing is to eliminate and stress, to increase and develop ductility, as well as decrease the hardness level of the steel.

Here at Waldun, we can get you all the AISI 5160 steel requirements you need in just a blink of an eye! We are skilled, capable, and ready to produce thousands of AISI 5160 steels for your business and never have troubles with it.

Talk to us today and we’ll be more than happy to get you a free quotation or a free estimate of your orders!