The Classes of Stainless Steel You Can Use for Your Projects

Steel is one of the most popular metals for a reason. It has all the ingredients of a material that will live up to your expectations, if not exceed them. Steel boasts immense strength and durability, but it is the variety that will certainly intrigue you. There is a choice of carbon steels, alloy steels and stainless steels. The chemical composition and physical characteristics vary to make these steels stand out from each other. In this piece, you will learn a lot about stainless steels. You may know them for excelling at corrosion resistance, although they have different qualities you need to understand. Here is a discussion that sheds more light.

Austenitic Stainless Steel

Austenitic stainless steels are the result of adding adequate amounts of nickel to alter the crystal structure of stainless steel. Typically, you will find at least eight per cent of the composition made up of nickel. Austenitic stainless steel is famous for many reasons. First, it stands up well against corrosion, meaning that equipment and fittings made from this material will last long. More importantly, austenitic steels have good formability and fabricability. You can also anneal them to prevent the effects of magnetic fields. This is the kind of stainless steel you need for your processing plant equipment, computer hardware and food processing materials.

Martensitic Stainless Steel

Martensitic stainless steels differ from the austenitic steels because of the carbon content. The carbon content of martensitic steels is relatively high, ranging from 0.1 to 1.2 per cent. This range of steels also goes by the name plain chromium steels. Essentially, the dominance of the carbon element means that martensitic steels perform averagely when it comes to resisting corrosion. There are relatively soft and in need of hardening when you want to use them for high-strength applications. Martensitic steels are ideal for making items such as spindles, pins and domestic cutlery.

Precipitation Hardening Stainless Steels

Some of your business applications may require you to get steel in a unique form. The traditional rods and steel sheets won't suffice, or they may prove to be expensive when machining. Thankfully, you have the option of precipitation hardening steels formulated for supply in treated solution formats. The solution form allows you to machine, harden, fabricate and age the steel in low-temperature conditions. Indeed, this form of steel allows a high level of flexibility for custom-made products. It is ideal for making parts that need a perfect fit, such as valves and shafts for pumps.

For more information, contact a stainless steel fabrication service.


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