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

In order that good high-speed steel may be furnished in finished bars, it must be of correct chemical analysis, properly melted and cast into solid ingots, free from blow-holes and surface defects.

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

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 manufacturer of high-speed steel knows and appreciates the troubles and difficulties that may sometimes arise in the heat-treating of his product.

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)