Stainless steels, corrosion behavior, fabrication and finishing, metallography and properties of stainless steels. Carbon and alloy steels are the workhorse of structural materials in modern engineering because of their very reasonable costs coupled with their many and varied properties that allow their use in such a large array of applications. It's very easy to take steel for granted and forget how much it's relied upon in critical uses such as cars, bridges, buildings, landing gear assemblies, and more.