Construction hardware. Kitchen appliances. Consumer electronics. Medical and dental instruments. These are just a few of the many products manufactured with stainless steel that people rely upon every day.

There are many reasons why stainless steel is so common, including its temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, and sustainability. Additionally, it can be engineered with extremely precise tolerances and properties, so stainless has solidified itself as a crucial component of countless industries and applications.

HOW TO FABRICATE STAINLESS STEEL

The stainless-steel production process starts when a steel mill melts down scrap and raw materials like iron, carbon, chromium, and nickel in large crucibles.

Once melted, excess carbon is removed from the mixture. The compound is turned and stirred to evenly distribute the elements and ensure uniform quality. Then, it is cast into big slabs that can be made into billets for forging, sheet, or, for our purposes, rolled into coils.

Cold rolling mills like Ulbrich process stainless steel coil, adjusting its thickness and imparting other mechanical process suited to the customers specifications or application. Cold rolling refers to metal processing imparted under 300° while most hot rolling is done by the melt mills themselves. Once surface finishes are applied and any other value-added processing is completed, the material is ready to use.

HISTORY OF STAINLESS STEEL

Oddly enough, stainless steel was invented accidentally. In 1913, British metallurgist Harry Brearly was tasked with creating a new alloy with higher corrosion resistance for use in the English military’s guns and artillery. He added chromium to iron, noticed the alloy didn’t rust, and thus stainless steel was born.

The following year, European manufacturers started using stainless steel to produce knives and cutlery. As the decades passed and the metal industry evolved, stainless was used for military tanks, surgical implements, turbine blades, and even as a flood barrier on the river Thames. Fast forward to today, where stainless steel has countless applications across countless industries.

Thanks to technological advancements, stainless steel material is now widely used—and in many cases, it has even overtaken the usefulness of other steel.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STAINLESS STEEL AND CARBON STEEL

There are several differences between stainless steel and ordinary steel, and perhaps the most important is the material’s ingredients. While all steel contains iron and is alloyed using carbon, stainless contains at least 10% chromium. In fact, stainless’s chromium content is what makes it so resistant to corrosion and extreme temperatures. That’s because when chromium is exposed to oxygen it creates an inert and protective layer of Cr2O3 on the metal. This passive layer is what keeps stainless steel from rusting.

Although stainless is softer than carbon steel, different types provide plenty of applications. Materials like austenitic stainless steel or ferritic stainless steel and each different stainless steel grade has different properties, each of which are useful in countless applications.

Properties of Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is classified into different grades depending on their chemical makeup, particularly their percentages of carbon, chromium, and nickel. For example, austenitic stainless is the most common type and is graded as a 300 series stainless, containing up to 30% chromium and 6% nickel. Further, ferritic, and martensitic stainless steel are both 400-grade material and contain 11%-12% chromium. Each type has unique properties, including:

• Excellent corrosion resistance
• High tensile strength
• Durability
• Temperature resistance
• Easy formability and fabrication
• Longevity with little required maintenance
• Environmental friendliness
• Great aesthetic appearance

Despite these advantageous properties, there are some factors that make stainless steel difficult to work with. For example, its high tensile strength and plasticity can make it difficult to machine. Additionally, since it holds onto high temperatures, it takes time to cool down before it can be formed and finished. However, in most cases, the advantages of stainless steel greatly outweigh the disadvantages.

Evaluating the Properties of Stainless Steel

Tensile testing is one of the most common methods we use to determine whether the mechanical properties of a stainless-steel alloy product are optimal for our customers. This test helps assess how stainless steel will perform under tensile (stretching or pulling) forces, which is crucial for designing and ensuring the quality and safety of stainless steel components.