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StainlessSteelsIntroductionToTheGradesAndFamilies

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Background
TheFamiliesOfStainlessSteels
AusteniticStainlessSteels
FerriticStainlessSteels
MartensiticStainlessSteels
DuplexStainlessSteels
PrecipitationHardeningStainlessSteels
CharacteristicsOfStainlessSteels
StandardClassifications

Background
Thegroupofalloyswhichtodaymakeupthefamilyofstainlesssteelshadtheirbeginningin
1913inSheffield,EnglandHarryBrearleywastryinganumberofalloysaspossiblegun
barrelsteels,andnoticedthatsamplescutfromoneofthesetrialheatsdidnotrustand
wereinfactdifficulttoetch.Whenheinvestigatedthiscuriousmaterial,itcontainedabout
13%chromium.Thisleadtothedevelopmentofthestainlesscutlerysteelsforwhich
Sheffieldbecamefamous.Coincidentallydevelopmentworkwasalsobeingcarriedoutin
Franceataboutthesametimewhichculminatedintheproductionofthefirstaustenitic
stainlesssteels.

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Theworldwideconsumptionofstainlesssteelisincreasing.Thereisgrowingdemandfrom
thebuildingandconstructionindustrywherestainlesssteelisusedforitsattractive
appearance,corrosionresistance,lowmaintenanceandstrength.Manyotherindustriesare
adoptingstainlesssteelforsimilarreasonsaswellasthefactthatitdoesnotneedtobe
treated,coatedorpaintedwhenputintoservice,despitethefactthatitismoreexpensive
thanplaincarbonsteels.Evidencetosupportthiscomesfromthehouseholdappliances
manufacturers,wherethereareaneverincreasingnumberofitems,traditionallyknownas
whitegoods,beingmanufacturedinstainlesssteel.

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Stainlesssteelsareironbasedalloyscontainingaminimumofabout10.5%chromiumthis
formsaprotectiveselfhealingoxidefilm,whichisthereasonwhythisgroupofsteelshas
theircharacteristic"stainlessness"orcorrosionresistance.Theabilityoftheoxidelayerto
healitselfmeansthatthesteeliscorrosionresistant,nomatterhowmuchofthesurfaceis
removed.Thisisnotthecasewhencarbonorlowalloysteelsareprotectedfromcorrosion
bymetalliccoatingssuchaszincorcadmiumorbyorganiccoatingssuchaspaint.
Althoughallstainlesssteelsdependonthepresenceofchromium,otheralloyingelements
areoftenaddedtoenhancetheirproperties.Thecategorisationofstainlesssteelsisunusual
amongstmetalsinthatitisbaseduponthenatureoftheirmetallurgicalstructurethe
termsuseddenotethearrangementoftheatomswhichmakeupthegrainsofthesteel,and
whichcanbeobservedwhenapolishedsectionthroughapieceofthematerialisviewedat
highmagnificationthroughamicroscope.Dependingupontheexactchemicalcompositionof
thesteelthemicrostructuremaybemadeupofthestablephasesausteniteorferrite,a
"duplex"mixofthesetwo,thephasemartensitecreatedwhensomesteelsarerapidly
quenchedfromahightemperature,orastructurehardenedbyprecipitatedmicro
constituents.
TherelationshipbetweenthedifferentfamiliesisasshowninFigure1.Abroadbrush
comparisonofthepropertiesofthedifferentfamiliesisgiveninTable1.

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Figure1.Familiesofstainlesssteels.

AusteniticStainlessSteels
Thisgroupcontainsatleast16%chromiumand6%nickel(thebasicgrade304isreferred
toas18/8)andrangethroughtothehighalloyor"superaustenitics"suchas904Land6%
molybdenumgrades.
Additionalelementscanbeaddedsuchasmolybdenum,titaniumorcopper,tomodifyor
improvetheirproperties,makingthemsuitableformanycriticalapplicationsinvolvinghigh
temperatureaswellascorrosionresistance.Thisgroupofsteelsisalsosuitablefor
cryogenicapplicationsbecausetheeffectofthenickelcontentinmakingthesteelaustenitic
avoidstheproblemsofbrittlenessatlowtemperatures,whichisacharacteristicofother
typesofsteel.
TherelationshipbetweenthevariousausteniticgradesisshowninFigures2.

Figure2.TheAusteniticStainlessSteels

FerriticStainlessSteels
Theseareplainchromium(10.5to18%)gradessuchasGrade430and409.Theirmoderate
corrosionresistanceandpoorfabricationpropertiesareimprovedinthehigheralloyed
gradessuchasGrades434and444andintheproprietarygrade3CR12.
TherelationshipbetweenthevariousferriticgradesisshowninFigure3.

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Figure3.Familiesofferriticstainlesssteels.

MartensiticStainlessSteels
Martensiticstainlesssteelsarealsobasedontheadditionofchromiumasthemajoralloying
elementbutwithahighercarbonandgenerallylowerchromiumcontent(e.g.12%inGrade
410and416)thantheferritictypesGrade431hasachromiumcontentofabout16%,but
themicrostructureisstillmartensitedespitethishighchromiumlevelbecausethisgrade
alsocontains2%nickel.
TherelationshipbetweenthevariousmartensiticgradesisshowninFigure4.

Figure4.Thefamiliesofmartensiticstainlesssteels.

DuplexStainlessSteels
Duplexstainlesssteelssuchas2304and2205(thesedesignationsindicatecompositionsof
23%chromium,4%nickeland22%chromium,5%nickelbutbothgradescontainfurther
minoralloyingadditions)havemicrostructurescomprisingamixtureofausteniteand
ferrite.Duplexferriticausteniticsteelscombinesomeofthefeaturesofeachclass:they
areresistanttostresscorrosioncracking,albeitnotquiteasresistantastheferriticsteels
theirtoughnessissuperiortothatoftheferriticsteelsbutinferiortothatoftheaustenitic
steels,andtheirstrengthisgreaterthanthatofthe(annealed)austeniticsteels,byafactor
ofabouttwo.Inadditiontheduplexsteelshavegeneralcorrosionresistancesequaltoor
betterthan304and316,andingeneraltheirpittingcorrosionresistancesaresuperiorto
316.Theysufferreducedtoughnessbelowabout50Candafterexposureabove300C,so
areonlyusedbetweenthesetemperatures.
TherelationshipbetweenthevariousduplexgradesisshowninFigures5.

Figure5.Thefamiliesofduplexstainlesssteels.

PrecipitationHardeningStainlessSteels
Thesearechromiumandnickelcontainingsteelsthatcandevelopveryhightensile
strengths.Themostcommongradeinthisgroupis"174PH",alsoknownasGrade630,
withthecompositionof17%chromium,4%nickel,4%copperand0.3%niobium.Thegreat
advantageofthesesteelsisthattheycanbesuppliedinthe"solutiontreated"condition.In
thisconditionthesteelisjustmachineable.Followingmachining,formingetc.thesteelcan
behardenedbyasingle,fairlylowtemperature"ageing"heattreatmentwhichcausesno
distortionofthecomponent.

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CharacteristicsOfStainlessSteels
Thecharacteristicsofthebroadgroupofstainlesssteelscanbeviewedascomparedtothe
morefamiliarplaincarbon"mild"steels.Asageneralisationthestainlesssteelshave:
Higherworkhardeningrate
Higherductility
Higherstrengthandhardness
Higherhotstrength
Highercorrosionresistance
Highercryogenictoughness
Lowermagneticresponse(austeniticonly)
Mustretaincorrosionresistantsurfaceinthefinishedproduct.
Thesepropertiesapplyparticularlytotheausteniticfamilyandtovaryingdegreestoother
gradesandfamilies.
Thesepropertieshaveimplicationsforthelikelyfieldsofapplicationforstainlesssteels,but
alsoinfluencethechoiceoffabricationmethodsandequipment.
Table1(PartA).ComparativePropertiesofstainlesssteelfamilies.
AlloyGroup

MagneticResponse1

WorkHardening

Corrosion

Rate

Resistance2

Hardenable

Austenitic

GenerallyNo

VeryHigh

High

ByColdWork

Duplex

Yes

Medium

VeryHigh

No

Ferritic

Yes

Medium

Medium

No

Martensitic

Yes

Medium

Medium

Quench&Temper

Yes

Medium

Medium

AgeHarden

Precipitation
Hardening

1=Attractionofsteeltoamagnet.Notesomegradescanbeattractedtoamagnetifcold
worked.
2=Variessignificantlywithinbetweengradeswithineachgroupe.g.freemachininggrades
havelowercorrosionresistance,thosegradeshigherinmolybdenumhavehigher
resistance.
Table1(PartB).ComparativePropertiesofstainlesssteelfamilies.
AlloyGroup

Ductility

HighTemperature

LowTemperature

Resistance

Resistance3

Weldability

Austenitic

VeryHigh

VeryHigh

VeryHigh

VeryHigh

Duplex

Medium

Low

Medium

High

Ferritic

Medium

High

Low

Low

Martensitic

Low

Low

Low

Low

Medium

Low

Low

High

Precipitation
Hardening

3=Measuredbytoughnessorductilityatsubzerotemperatures.Austeniticgradesretain
ductilitytocryogenictemperatures.

StandardClassifications
TherearemanydifferentvarietiesofstainlesssteelandtheAmericanIronandSteel
Institute(AISI)inthepastdesignatedsomeasstandardcompositions,resultinginthe
commonlyusedthreedigitnumberingsystem.Thisrolehasnowbeentakenoverbythe
SAEandASTM,whoallocate1letter+5digitUNSnumberstonewgrades.Thefullrange
ofthesestandardstainlesssteelsiscontainedintheIronandSteelSociety(ISS)"Steel
ProductsManualforStainlessSteels",andintheSAE/ASTMhandbookofUnifiedNumbering
System.Certainothergradesdonothavestandardnumbers,butareinsteadcoveredby
othernationalorinternationalspecifications,orbyspecificationsforspecialisedproducts

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StainlessSteelsIntroductionToTheGradesAndFamilies
suchasstandardsforweldingwire.

Source:AtlasSteelsAustralia

FormoreinformationonthissourcepleasevisitAtlasSteelsAustralia

DateAdded:May16,2001|Updated:Feb27,2015

Readin|English|Espaol|Franais|Deutsch|Portugus|Italiano|||||
Nederlands||Svenska

Comments
BillyArnold

says:

August6,2013at5:03PM

Whatis1AstainlessandWhat'sitscharacteristics?
0

Reply

AbdelmagedIbrahim

says:

August26,2014at1:11PM

Iwantastainlesssteelgradesofterthan316.Couldyouplsrecommenda
commontype?Thanks
0

Reply

AlessandroPirolini

says:

August27,2014at6:59AM

Grades304and347arebothsofterthan316StainlessSteel.
AlessandroPirolini
Editor
AZoNetwork
Reply

FuJet

says:

May22,2015at4:56AM

Alsoyoucanchoose304cuor304DDQorchina304J1
Reply

nurulhidayahomar

says:

November24,2014at8:54PM

canyourecommendsuitablestainlesssteelforboronizing?
0

Reply

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