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 manganese and silicon contents are relatively unimportant in the percentages usually found in high-speed steel.

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

It is not the intention to make any definite recommendations as to heat-treating of high-speed steel by the users.

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

A larger furnace for high-speed steel is given in Fig.

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

“Why, to harden high-speed steel for guns and turning-tools–haven’t you read all about it in the papers?”

From Shadow Mountain by Coolidge, Dane

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