Which element added to steel increases tensile strength?

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Vanadium boosts tensile strength mainly through grain refinement and carbide precipitation. When steel is heat treated, vanadium forms very fine vanadium carbides that pin grain boundaries, preventing grains from growing large. A finer grain structure can withstand higher applied stresses before deforming, so the steel exhibits greater tensile strength. These carbides can also precipitate during tempering, providing an additional hardening effect that raises strength while maintaining toughness. Other elements like molybdenum, chromium, and nickel also strengthen steel, but vanadium’s strong carbide formation and grain-size control give a particularly direct and notable increase in tensile strength in many steels.