What is Stainless Steel?
Stainless Steel is a generic name for a family of corrosion resistant alloys of materials containing more that 11 % Chromium. A more appropriate name for this group of materials would be “Corrosion Resistant Steel” that have various properties, according to the alloying elements and methods of production.
Corrosion resistance is obtained by the alloying elements in particular the Chromium addition through a self repairing system. The material forms a very thin layer of chromium oxide that is inert from attack in most environments. When the oxide layer is broken through what ever method the chromium within the material re-oxidates with the atmosphere, forming another resistant layer
Types of Stainless Steel
They are many grades available that generally are categorised into the 5 basic forms
- Ferritic
- Austenitic
- Martensitic
- Duplex
- Precipitated Hardened
|
