high-speed steel

American  

noun

1. an especially hard, heat-resistant steel for use in lathe tools and for other applications involving high friction and wear.

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high-speed steel British  

noun

1. any of various steels that retain their hardness at high temperatures and are thus suitable for making tools used on lathes and other high-speed machines

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Etymology

Origin of high-speed steel

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

The quality of high-speed steel is dependent to a very great extent upon its structure.

From The Working of Steel Annealing, Heat Treating and Hardening of Carbon and Alloy Steel by Colvin, Fred H. (Fred Herbert)

The successful manufacture of high-speed steel can only be obtained by those companies who have become specialists.

From The Working of Steel Annealing, Heat Treating and Hardening of Carbon and Alloy Steel by Colvin, Fred H. (Fred Herbert)

Tools, made of high-speed steel, and of the proper shapes, were properly dressed, treated, and ground.

From The Principles of Scientific Management by Taylor, Frederick Winslow

The muffle furnace is used for hardening dies, taps, cutters and similar Page 188 tools of either carbon or high-speed steel.

From The Working of Steel Annealing, Heat Treating and Hardening of Carbon and Alloy Steel by Colvin, Fred H. (Fred Herbert)

The Latrobe Steel Company make a high-speed steel without tungsten, its red-hardness properties depending on chromium and cobalt instead of tungsten.

From The Working of Steel Annealing, Heat Treating and Hardening of Carbon and Alloy Steel by Colvin, Fred H. (Fred Herbert)