STAINLESS STEEL

Invention of stainless steel:

Stainless steel was invented by Harry Brearley (1871-1948), who had started at an early age, 12
years, to work as a laborer in the mill of his hometown, Sheffield (Inglaterra). In 1912, Brearley
began to investigate, at the request of the arms manufacturers, an alloy to present greater
resistance to wear than experienced thus far in the interior of the barrels of the small arms fire
resulting from heat by gases. Searching a metal resist erosion, Brearley found a corrosion resistant
metal. His invention had no immediate interest was for the manufacture of cutlery.
Stainless steel concept:

In metallurgy, stainless steel alloy is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10% chromium
content by weight. Stainless steel is corrosion resistant, as chromium, or other metals containing,
has a great affinity for oxygen and reacts with it to form a passivating layer, thus preventing
corrosion of iron. However, this layer can be affected by some acids, resulting in the iron to be
attacked oxidized and intergranular or pitting mechanisms generalized. Contains, by definition, at
least 10.5% chromium. Some types of stainless steel also contains other alloying elements, the
main ones are nickel and molybdenum.

Using stainless steel:

Stainless steels are used mainly in four types of markets:

Appliances: large appliances and small home appliances.
Automotive: especially exhaust pipes.
Construction: buildings and street furniture (facades and material).
Industry: food, chemicals and oil.

Properties:

Its resistance to corrosion, its hygienic and aesthetic properties of stainless steel makes this
material very attractive to suit different types of claims, such as the medical industry.

Corrosion resistance of stainless steels:

All stainless steels contain sufficient chromium to give characteristics of Stainless. Many also
contain nickel stainless alloys to further strengthen its resistance to corrosion. These alloys are
added to steel to make it melt "steel throughout its substance." For this reason, stainless steels or
need not be plated or painted, or any other surface treatment to improve their resistance to
corrosion. In stainless steel there is nothing that can peel or wear, or jump and discard. EI ordinary
steel, when exposed to the elements, is oxidized to form iron oxide powder on its surface. If
uncontrolled, the oxidation goes on until the steel is completely corroded. Stainless steels also
oxidized, but instead of ordinary oxide, which is formed in the surface film is a thin dense chromium
oxide constitutes a shield against corrosion attacks. If this film is removed from the chromium oxide
coating the stainless steels, is reformed immediately chromium combined with oxygen from the
ambient atmosphere. The surface film is a thin dense chromium oxide constitutes a shield against
corrosion attacks.



Types and grades of material:

There are many types of stainless steel and not all are suitable for structural applications,
particularly when carried out welding operations. There are five basic stainless classified according
to its metallurgical structure: austenitic, ferritic, martensitic, duplex and precipitation-hardening
(precipitation hardening). Stainless steels containing chromium alone, are called "ferrite", since they
have a metallographic structure composed mainly of ferrite. They are magnetic, and are
distinguished because they are attracted by a magnet. These steels, with high percentages of
carbon, are temperable and therefore can be cured by heat treatment steels to be renamed
"martensitic", having its metallographic structure martensite. Stainless steels containing more than
7% nickel, called "austenitic", since they have a metallographic structure in the annealed condition,
consists essentially of austenite. Are not magnetic in the annealed condition, and therefore are not
attracted by a magnet. These austenitic steels can be hardened by deformation, changing
metallographic structure contain "martensite". In this situation become partially magnetic.