Research Article

Stainless Steel - A Key Player for the Integrated

Infrastructure Development
KK Vishwakarma1
Introduction
Sustainable Development of Smart Cities cannot take place without developing the sustainable infrastructure. In
this context, before analyzing the role of Stainless Steel, one needs to understand the concept of three things –
Sustainability, Infrastructure and Smart Cities, in a broader perspective of fast developing/ changing technical, social
and economic environment in the country and world over. Today , Sustainability is a much talked about topic in national
and international seminar/ conferences and it has been defined many ways. One of them defines it as an ability to be
sustained, supported and upheld and so the sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. As such it ensures that development and
economic growth takes place in a clean and green environment without depletion of natural resources. As regards the
Infrastructure, it combines infra ( meaning below) and structure .Hence, it refers to the underlying or basic structure of
a country and its economy that it needs in order to function properly eg. roads , rail bridges, airports, post offices, etc.
The third aspect i.e. Smart cities features in the technology based comforts and amenities which save time & money
and provides the green & clean environment/ society to live in, thereby ensuring the improvement in Quality of Life.

Stainless Steel, which remains stain less or free of stains for ever by virtues of its salient properties provided the correct
type, grade and finish is used, can play a pivotal role in creating a sustainable society/ smart cities in a cost effective
manner in the long run. This ultimately will lead to sustainable growth of economy which, in turn, will boost the demand
of Stainless Steel (S.S.). This is because the S. S. demand and infrastructure development are in fact inter dependent.
The following paras deliberate the role of SS in fulfilling the dream of the sustainable society in urban area in particular.

What is SS

Stainless Steels are steel based alloys containing a minimum 10.5 % chromium with or without other alloying other
elements like nickel, molybdenum, copper, nitrogen, etc. Based on the alloy contents and the internal structure, SS are
classified into following basic categories – austenitic, ferritic &. martensitic. Later on developments are classified as
duplex, super duplex, super austenitic. Each one of them can contribute to the sustainable development of infrastructure
depending upon the place and environment of its uses due to its own characteristics. The SS alloys acquires anti rusting
properties due to the passive layer of chromium oxide, whereas Ni provides adequate ductility for deep drawing to
protect edge cracking and Mo protects SS surface from pitting in presence of halogens in marine environment

Austenitic Stainless Steel containing Cr – 16 to 26 % and Ni – 6 to 22 % have excellent weldability, formability, hygine
factor and cryogenic properties. They are identified as AISI 300 series. Hence, 304 is also termed as food grade SS for
its wider application for kitchen / tablewares.

1
DGM ,SAIL- SSP, Delhi.

E-mail Id: sspndo@gmail.com

How to cite this article: Vishwakarma KK. Stainless Steel - A Key Player for the Integrated Infrastructure Development. J Adv Res
Const Urban Arch 2017; 2(3&4): 71-74.

ISSN: 2456-9925

© ADR Journals 2017. All Rights Reserved.

Vishwakarma KK
Sustainability of SS
Sustainability of a material is always determined in relation
to three things.
People, Planet and Profit (economy) .Let us examine
sustainability of SS in relation to each of them.
People & SS
A sustainable resource always respects the human being
either during its production process or recycling or during
its end use i.e. it ensures that there is no harm to health and
safety of a person at any point of time. SS is not harmful
in this sense . First of all it is anti rusting because of the
presence of chromium which forms passive layer (Cr2O3)
which protects it from corrosion thereby ensuring longer
life. As long as the correct grade and surface finish are
selected for an application , it remains inert and harmless
to the people who handle it and to the environment .As
such SS has proven to be the prime material in medical,
food processing, household and catering applications ,etc.
Further , SS provides a high strength and greater resistance
to fire and hence it provides greater safety/least harm to
people in case of fire and accident.
Advantages OF SS
The advantages of using SS are as depicted below
ISSN: 2456-9925
J. Adv. Res. Const. Urban Arch. 2017; 2(3&4)
Planet & SS
Sustainability to Planet means zero/least emission
footprints of the material which are harmful to the planet
especially related to carbon water and air .at the same time
, it also means highest recylability and reuse to conserve
the resources at highest level. Moreover, SS are 100 %
recyclable/reusable and at the same time it requires low
repair and maintenance cost. Considering these aspects,
there is least negative impact of the material (SS) on the
planet
Profit
Choosing Stainless Steel for an application ensures that it
will have better reliability , low maintenance cost a long
life and easy to recycle at the end of products’ life . This
makes SS an economical choice in consumer durables as
well as capital goods. Thus SS makes the business profitable.
The better mechanical properties together with the fire
resistance property, it ensures that human beings are
fully protected or least damage occurs to them in case of
accidents. This is a great benefit to the users. The emissions
of harmful /polluting gases during production process is
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J. Adv. Res. Const. Urban Arch. 2017; 2(3&4)
minimal which is an additional advantage of SS application.
The features indicated above in the diagram clearly indicate
that SS is an economical choice in consumer durables
as well as in capital goods applications. Its fire resistance
property as discussed above makes it suitable for the mass
transit system , buildings and public places. In addition ,
the aesthetically pleasing appearance makes it suitable for
the architectural and design projects.
Taking into account of all the features of SS described
above, it can be easily said that the choice of SS for an
application is not only economical/profitable , but it is
highly reliable/safe and its strong supply chain logistics
ensures the sustainable growth / development of economy
of the society.
Contribution of SAIL
SAIL has pioneered in production and marketing of stainless
steel products which has been used globally for the use in
Space Technology, Defense ,Railways, Mints, ABC sectors
and even in the utensil sector under the brand name of
SALEM STAINLESS. Its quality is as per ISO/ BIS certification
and has earned good name even in the export market.
Salem Stainless has become the best choice of customers
---be it for the Parliament Library Dome, or the Khalsa Tri
centenary Memorial of Anandpur Saheb, Petronas Twin
Towers or Melbourne Stadium. .Its crowing glory was the
use Salem Stainless for building the fuel and oxidizer tanks
of Chandrayan I andin ISRO Sattlite .Recently, SAIL has
made an SS monument of Father of the nation Mahatma
Gandhi at heart of Delhi at central park.. However , it has
to do a lot for production and supply of special grades .
Present domestic Scenario
A flying eye view of the urban life gives a highly dissatisfying
civic management thereby making the urban life very
painful . The dirty water of sever overflowing on roads ,
dirty drainage water getting mixed up with dirking water
pipeline and reaching the houses ,waste dump materials
falling on the travelers and killing them, railways poor track
maintenance and ageing rail bridges leading to frequent
derailment and accidents , poor condition of buses plying
and the bus stands, people living in very old and accident
prone buildings in the highly populated cities meeting the
accidental death in mass quite often, use of poor quality
material in construction of buildings thereby lowing the
buildings life ,traffic jams in densely populated cities
due to inadequate efficient mass transit system and non
use bollards , etc. – all these paint an ugly picture of our
city life management , especially civic management. The
alarming situation is also an indicator to a great potential
of many major corrective steps which are required to be
taken at faster pace.
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Vishwakarma KK
Amidst all odd things mentioned above, there are some
good signs like increasing network of Metro rails using SS
coaches, a good no. of malls using SS conveyors and lifts ,
SS monuments which can last long, SS gates and signage
of public buildings, modular kitchens and utensils made
of SS, etc. However, a lot many things yet to be done in
making the Smart City life will require SS whose production
& supply in appropriate grade will be required.
The plans of railways to modernize railway stations is a
welcome step of the Govt. The provision of Milk ATMs are
also in the pipeline. The use of SS over head tanks which
can last long are yet to be popularized. SS cylinders made
as per BIS standards are also not widely used , though these
are lighter and safer than the conventional cylinders. PNG
pipe line made of SS is also a better choice with respect to
strength and fire to be implemented in our urban areas. The
use of suitable/ high strength materials in the construction
activities can improve the life of residential/ commercial
builds manifolds. For example.
Reinforced Bars of SS Vs MS
SS reinforced bars are a better choice than that of MS
for three reasons – Non magnetic reinforcement; the
protection that concrete provides to MS rebar is lost due to
loss of alkalinity due to reaction with CO2 with formation
of Carbonate ; thirdly (which is main reason) for the use
of SS rebar is the solution to chloride induced corrosion
especially in the marine environment where deicing salts
are used in some of the colder climate in the world.
SS LPG Cylinder and PNG Pipe Lines
The BIS certified SS gas Cylinder are still to be promoted
for use by Gas agencies for better safety ,lesser weight and
high strength. Some countries have already switched over
to SS PNG lines for better corrosion strength and hence
better safety against fire hazard.
SS Overhead Tanks
It has got high strength and hence low cycle life cost ,
but still not used widely . In Smart Cities this needs to be
promoted in residential and commercial buildings.
SS Door/ Window Frames
Wooden door/ window/ frames are shortly getting damaged
/rotten due to insects bite. Hence, wooden window/ door
frames are to be promoted for its wide use .
Impediments
• Volatility in raw materials(NI & Cr etc.) cost
• Cheap Imports from China & South Korea
• Low strength of skilled technicians for SS fabrication
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Vishwakarma KK
works
• Low awareness about the long term benefit of SS
• Technical guidelines to customers in selecting the
correct grade and correct welding methods for their
application
• Low/Less Production and supply of SS of special grades(
Duplex / Super Duplex and Super Austinitic grades) for
high end use.
• Import duty on Ni, MS and SS Scrap
Recommendations
• Cost Reduction by process up gradation with R & D
efforts and by recycling of waste resources and by
modernizing the waste collection, treatment ,disposal
and recycling activities
• Improvement and increase in public transport system
(buses, Rail coaches of all trains,Fire trucks etc.) using
SS considering its low Life Cycle Cost , high strength
and Fire Protection property
• Residential/ Commercial buildings to further increase
its uses for better life of buildings viz SS rebars , door
References
1. National Steel Policy 2017
2. Journals of ISSDA, NI ,and ISSF ,Director Today-
July2017
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J. Adv. Res. Const. Urban Arch. 2017; 2(3&4)
& window frames, etc.
• Modernisation of Rly Stations , construction/renovation
of old bridges and tunnels must maximize the use of
SS not only for high strength , but also for electrifying
aesthetic look
• Use of SS in drinking water pipe line, PNG pipe line , LPG
cylinders, Overhead water tanks , bath room mirrors ,
staircases , fencing , flower pots ,sever pit hole covers
,packaging of food grains to protect from hazardous
impurities, etc for giving boost to SS consumption and
demand
• Use of SS in temples & monuments for longer life &
architectural appeal too
• Use of SS in sever/ drainage system and for manhole
covers for avoiding road accidents especially in rainy
season
• Increase use of SS in hospital, hospitality and dairy
sectors
• Skill Development to meet the increasing demand of
Plumbers, Welders, Architects, etc.
• Cladding of old buildings columns with SS sheets to
provide greater Strength/ longer life.
3. Team Stainless dt 22/09/16
4. Users’ Guide , SAIL-SSP
5. The Impact of Infrastructure on growth in developing
Countries authored by Mr Antonio Estache & Gregoire
Garsous –Aril 2012
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