What kinds of techniques
Stainless Steel
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What exactly is the
difference between stainless
and ORDINARY steel?
All steel is carbon based, but stain-
less steel contains chromium at 10%
or more by weight. Steel is susceptible
to rust, an active iron oxide film that
forms when steel is exposed to air and
moisture. This iron oxide film is active
and accelerates corrosion by form-
ing more iron oxide. Stainless steel
does not rust, or is non-corrosive,
because of passivity. Passivity is when
chromium forms a passive film of
chromium oxide to repair the surface
layer and prevent further corrosion.
What are the characteristics
of stainless steel?
Stainless steel’s non-corrosive
characteristic gives it a long lifespan.
With the addition of nickel, the
material survives even longer and in
several types of environments. By
adding molybdenum and nitrogen,
stainless gains improved pitting
and crevice corrosion resistance.
Stainless steel has a high strength-
to-weight ratio even at high tem-
peratures. Adding alloys to stainless
steel helps it resist heat and scaling.
Stainless steel is easy to clean
because the surface is non-porous.
It is well suited for medical and
food-grade applications because it
prevents the absorption of bacteria
and germs. Stainless steel does
not stain and can be polished to
create an aesthetic appearance.
How do you classify
different types of
stainless steel?
Stainless steels are classified
according to their metallurgical
structure: austenitic, ferritic, mar-
Sponsored by Eagle Stainless
are used to fabricate
tenistic, precipitation hardening,
and duplex. Austenitic stainless
steels contain chromium and nick-
el. They are hardened only though
cold working and are non-mag-
netic although some may become
magnetic by cold working.
Austenitic stainless steels are
identified as T300 series stainless
steels (typical alloys T304, T316).
Alloys containing chromium,
nickel, and manganese are identi-
fied as T200 series (T201, T202).
Ferritic stainless steels are
straight chromium. They are
magnetic, have good ductil-
ity, and resist corrosion and
oxidation. Ferritic stainless steels
cannot be hardened by heat
treatment and are identified
as T400 series (T409, T430).
Martenistic stainless steels are
also straight chromium but can
be hardened by heat treatment.
They are magnetic and resist
corrosion in mild environments.
They have fairly good ductility
and some can be heat treated
to tensile strengths in excess
of 200,000 psi. Martenistic
stainless steels are identified
as T400 series (T410, T416).
Precipitation-hardening stainless
steels are chromium-nickel types
identified as alloys T17-4 or T17-7
PH. They can be hardened by
solution treating and aging.
Duplex stainless steels have
an annealed structure which is
typically equal parts of austenite
and ferrite. The duplex grades
are highly resistant to corrosion
and pitting. They have about
twice the yield strength of
conventional grades. T2205 is the
standard alloy for duplex grade.
What typical applications
are suitable for each
series of stainless?
Applications for stainless steel can
vary but some common examples
include cookware, cutlery, sinks,
aerospace components, medical
device instruments, oil and gas
lines, beverage applications,
or laboratory instruments.
Stainless steel is a good choice
for applications where corro-
sion and heat resistance are
important in material selection.
More specifically, austenitic
stainless steels are used for food
equipment, chemical equipment,
and architectural applications.
Ferritic stainless steels are used
for appliance trim and cooking
utensils. Martenistic stainless steels
are used for fasteners and pump
shafts. Precipitation hardening
stainless steels are used for
valves, gears, and petrochemical
equipment. And duplex stainless
steels are used across applica-
tions similar to austenitic and
ferritic stainless steels. Examples
include marine environments and
pollution control equipment
What forms does stainless
steel come in besides sheet?
Stainless steel is also avail-
able in bar, wire, tubing,
pipe, and plate form.
How do you harden
stainless steel?
Some types of stainless steel
can be hardened through
heat treatment while other
types need to be cold worked.
Examples of cold working
include swaging or drawing.
stainless steel?
Stainless steel can be fabricated
using techniques such as lathes,
milling machines, welding torches,
laser machining centers, stamping
presses, centerless grinding, swag-
ing, forming machines, electrical
discharge machining, and more.
Why is fabricated stainless
steel treated with
oxidizing chemicals?
Iron particles or other substances
can become embedded in the
stainless surface during fabrication
or polishing operations. These
particles must be removed or
else they will cause discoloration,
rusting, or even pitting. Oxidizing
chemicals are used to form a
passive layer along the surface
of stainless steel to enhance
resistance to corrosion.
This process is the final prepara-
tion for stainless steel parts. It
consists of immersing the parts in
a nitric acid solution, rinsing with
clear running water, and drying.
If the part is too large to
submerge in a chemical
bath, how can you tell
if all areas of the part
have been treated?
If immersion of the stainless
steel piece is impractical due to
size, the acid solution may be
applied with a suitable swab and
removed by rinsing with water.
There are several tests which
can be performed on the
oversized part to determine
passivity such as a high humid-
ity test, salt spray test, copper
sulfate test or free iron test.
Why choose stainless
steel over aluminum?
Both stainless steel and alumi-
num have benefits and weakness-
es. Stainless steel is often chosen
for applications that require cor-
rosion resistance, heat resistance,
and high strength to weight ratio.
Aluminum is chosen over stainless
steel when the application requires
less weight. The same part made
from aluminum versus stainless
steel is one-third the weight. This
is why aluminum is well suited for
applications such as airplanes.
ISO 9001 • AS 9100 • ISO 13485
EAGLE STAINLESS
Tube & Fabrication, Inc.
CNC / Swiss machining
Specializing in CNC machining for
more than two decades, Eagle
Stainless has been delivering some
of the most intricately machined
part imaginable. Working in diame-
ters ranging from .030” to 2”, we’re
ready to meet the requirements of
your most demanding application!
Laser welding/cutting - Eagle’s
computer controlled laser welding equipment
(laser center shown above) enables us to
produce extremely close-tolerance cutting,
notching, etching and welding operations.
Cut-to-length tubing - Eagle can cut and
de-burr any diameter tubing in
quantities from 1 piece to
Flaring and reductions
100,000 pieces or more from
lengths on .040” and longer Flaring and end reduction of tubing
with a tolerance of ±.005 is an every day precision process at
as standard on diameters Eagle. Special tools and procedures
of less than 1”. Closer have been developed to insure
tolerances are met quite repeatability for proper mating of
often. Talk to us! flared and end-reduced tubes.
Bending / Coiling- The ability to bend
tubes without excessive distortion, wrinkling
or fracturing is an art born of experience.
Eagle craftsmen working with state-of-the-
art machinery supply uniformly smooth
bends, meeting the tightest customer
specifications.
State-of-the-art tube bending
Custom shaped tubing in sizes from
.040” to 1.00” to lengths to 17 ft. www.eagletube.com
• Round • Oval • Square • Triangular 10 Discovery Way
• Rectangular • Hexagonal • and more! Franklin, MA 02038
With a complete in-house tool and die
facility, experienced toolmakers will develop Phone: 800-528-8650
a custom extrusion die to yield tubing that Fax: 800-520-1954
will meet or exceed your expectations.