Different Types of Stainless Steel |
Posted: June 26, 2018 |
Stainless steel is a solid metal that is also known as inox steel or inox. This metal is widely used in different industries because of its several advantageous features like corrosion resistance and its durability. There are various grades of stainless steel with variable ranges of chromium and molybdenum. This metal is resistant to corrosion and staining and is low maintenance. (Information Credit- http://www.eurosteel.co.za/) There are many reputed stainless steel suppliers in South Africa that offer high quality stainless steel to their customers. Stainless steel alloys have a minimum 11% chromium content. Stainless steel is marked for its better performance than the ordinary steel in high temperature and in cryogenic applications. However, another important fact regarding stainless steel is that it differs from the carbon steel because of the amount of chromium present in stainless steel. Stainless steel comes in a variety of types and it has different grades. This article focuses on the different types of stainless steel and their significant characteristics. The details are illustrated below; There are four main types of stainless steels that are Austenitic, Ferritic, Martensitic and Duplex. The types of this stainless steel are marked by their microstructure or predominant crystal phase. Austenitic stainless steel This type of stainless is largely used in various industries. This type of stainless steel has austenitic microstructure. This microstructure is achieved by alloying it with metals like nickel and manganese to maintain the microstructure at all temperatures. Austenitic steels cannot be hardened by heat treatment. The most familiar stainless steel of this type is Type 304 and 316. However, all these stainless steel grades are nonmagnetic. Martensitic Martensitic steel contains 11-7% chromium which is less than 0.4% nickel. It consists of 1.2% carbon. The carbon content of stainless steel is responsible for harden-able steel that creates great impact when it is formed or welded. It is useful because it prevents cracking; pre-heating and post weld heat treatment. The types of this kind of steels are 403,410 and 410nimo and 420. All these types are magnetic and heat-treatable. This type of stainless steel is used in making knives, different types of cutting tools and surgical instruments. Ferritic This type of steels contains a small amount of nickel, 12-17% chromium and only 0.1% carbon. It has other alloying elements like molybdenum, titanium and aluminum. They have several beneficial characters like ductility and formability. The types are generally 409 and 405. Although this metal is magnetic it is non-treatable. They are usually strengthened by clod working. Duplex This type of stainless steel is primarily used in chemical plants and piping applications. They usually contain 22-25% chromium and 5% nickel with molybdenum and nitrogen. They have greater stress corrosion and cracking resistance qualities. They are also highly durable. However, choosing a particular type of steel depends on several factors like environment, corrosion resistance, tarnish and oxidation resistance and pitting.
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