Stainless Steel
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The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) defines stainless steel as steel that contains 10% or more chromium alone or with other alloying elements. Chromium increases hardness, strength,. Stainless steel grating is used for commercial and industrial flooring that allows the light, air, heat, and sound to pass between floor levels. Stainless steel music wire withstands tension for use as springs. The Stainless Depot offers a variety of affordable Stainless Steel Double Wall Vacuum Insulated Drinkware. Great for every day use and great as gifts. Unlike iron, which has been in use for over a thousand years, stainless steel is a relative newcomer to the materials science world, having first been produced only 100 years ago. The most common types of stainless steels are austenitic stainless steels. Compared to other types of stainless steels, austenitic stainless steels are extremely high in nickel content. Generally, they will also contain high amounts of chromium, nitrogen, and molybdenum.
Stainless Steel is a steel alloy containing chromium, well known for its corrosion resistance where durability and cleanliness are important. Here at Metals4U-Online, we only sell the highest quality stainless metals, and we ship direct to you! No order is cut 2 small! We're HUGE!
History of Stainless Steel
Stainless Steel, is also described as inox steel (derived from French: 'inoxydable' meaning stainless), is a steel alloy. The major difference between stainless steel and ordinary (carbon) steel is that the former does not undergo corrosion when exposed to water or air while the latter does. Therefore, stainless steel finds use in applications that not only need the properties of steel but also require high resistance to corrosion.
How is Stainless Steel Manufactured?
During the steel making process, various elements are added to ordinary steel when it is still in its molten state. The elements added, as well as the quantities of those elements, will change the properties of steel. If, during the process of steel production, the amount of chromium added exceeds 10.5% of the total mass of the alloy, the resultant steel alloy is stainless steel.
Why Is Stainless Steel Highly Resistant to Corrosion?
Stainless Steel is highly resistant to corrosion because of the large amount of chromium that it contains. This chromium reacts with the oxygen present in the atmosphere to form a passive layer of chromium oxide. As a result of the formation of this layer, oxygen in the atmosphere is unable to reach the actual steel surface; this protects the metal alloy from rusting or corroding. However, for this to happen, not only should sufficient amount of chromium be present, so should sufficient amount of oxygen. Therefore, in environments having low oxygen levels, stainless steel might still undergo corrosion.
The property of non-corrosion of an alloy of iron and chromium was first discovered by Pierre Berthier, who was a French metallurgist, in the year 1821. However, in the 19th century, metallurgists were not able to actually produce a steel alloy that had high levels of chromium and low levels of carbon. The alloys that they produced had high levels of carbon and were too brittle. It wasn't until the latter part of the 19th century and earlier part of the 20th century, however, that a number of researchers, like the Frenchman Leon Guillet and others in Europe and the United States of America, managed to create alloys which, today, we would consider as stainless steel. And all of this started when a German chemist called Hans Goldschmidt developed a thermite process to produce chromium that was carbon-free. By the third decade of the twentieth century, mass production of stainless steel had set in.
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*Prices subject to change without notice due to the Metals Market fluctuations.
* All 'value length' and 'value pack' item measurements are subject to a 'mill tolerance'. A product may be produced several thousandths of an inch, either over or under the stated thickness, and still be within 'mill tolerance'. This does NOT apply to Cut To Size items. Those will be +.125', -0.00' tolerances.
As you may or may not know, there are a variety of different kinds of stainless steel on the market today. After all, to be considered a stainless steel, all a metal alloy needs is to consist of at least 10.5% chromium; there are tons of alloys which contain this level of chromium.
Each different type of stainless steel offers its very own upsides, but its very own downsides as well. Typically, all species of stainless steel are divided into one of four groups. Those groups are as follows:
Cres Stainless Steel
1. Austenitic
The most common types of stainless steels are austenitic stainless steels. Compared to other types of stainless steels, austenitic stainless steels are extremely high in nickel content. Generally, they will also contain high amounts of chromium, nitrogen, and molybdenum.
Austenitic steels are renowned for their extreme weld-ability and malleability. Commonly used for kitchen cutlery and storage components, they also receive a lot of credit for their strength capabilities.
They typically have very high corrosion resistance. This suits them for a variety of uses where a corrosive environment is present. Common austenitic stainless steels include alloys 304 and 904L (N08904).
The only potential problem with austenitic stainless steel is that it’s expensive.
2. Ferritic
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Ferritic stainless steels are stainless steels with low, but existing amounts of carbon. Generally, carbon consistencies in ferritic stainless steels don’t exceed 0.10%. While other minerals can be added to these steels (molybdenum is a common additive), they primarily consist of chromium.
Ferritic stainless steels are magnetic, and are used commonly for their resistance to stress corrosion cracking. Because of this, they’re often utilized for products that will come into contact with potentially corrosive materials. These products include car components, kitchen cookware, and industrial entities.
Two of the more common types of ferritic steel are alloys 430 and 434.
3. Duplex
Duplex stainless steels are essentially combinations of ferritic and austenitic stainless steels. Stronger than both ferritic and austenitic stainless steels, they possess less nickel than austenitic steels. Because of this, they are also less expensive than austenitic steels.
Duplex stainless steel is used heavily in the underwater oil industry. This is due mainly to its corrosion resistance capabilities, which allow it to withstand the corrosive nature of salt water over long periods of time.
Stainless Steel Dishwasher
Fairly malleable, and fairly weldable, duplex stainless steels can be shaped to create a number of different components. Two of the more common types of duplex stainless steel include S31803 stainless steel and S32205 stainless steel.
4. Martensitic
Martensitic stainless steels are structurally similar to ferritic stainless steels, with the only real differences being their percentages of carbon. While carbon percentages in ferritic stainless steel remain below 0.10%, carbon percentages in martensitic stainless steel hover around 1%.
This difference in carbon percentages is important because it allows for martensitic stainless steels to be hardened to great extents. This type of steel is typically used in situations that call for high strength, but average resistance to corrosion. You’ll often see it used in valves or pumps, though it has many more applications aside from these.
Some martensitic stainless steels include alloy 431 and 420S45.
Looking for Stainless Steel Products?
Are you on the search for stainless steel manufacturing products? If so, look no further! Great Plains Stainless has you covered.
Stainless Steel Cookware
Grades Of Stainless
We offer stainless steel components of all kinds, including tubes, pipes, bars, fittings, and a variety of other items. Delivering to over 50 different countries, we can get these components to you in a short amount of time.
Contact us now to discuss your stainless steel needs!