What is stainless steel made of? Stainless steel was invented in 1912 by Harry Brearley in a laboratory in Sheffield, England. He experimented with different alloys and found that a certain variety did not rust when etched. Nowadays, there are many types of stainless steel, all with unique properties and special areas of use.
What elements are stainless steel made of?
Stainless steel is an alloy of iron containing at least 10.5% chromium. Thanks to its chromium alloy, stainless steel corrodes much more slowly than carbon steel. It is used in corrosive environments, for example those that are exposed to chlorides or have a high degree of acidity. When the stainless steel contains up to 18% chromium but no nickel, it is called chrome steel. It is often used in white goods. It is cheaper to produce chrome steel than more traditional stainless steel as nickel is not used, which results in a lower material cost in production.
Acid-resistant steel
An acid-proof or acid-resistant steel contains nickel, chromium and at least 2% molybdenum. This form of stainless steel is used in environments subject to more severe chemical stresses. It is used as a material to produce jewelry, nuts, screws, pipe fittings, machine parts for the marine environment and details exposed to acids.
Alloy elements in steel
Steel can be alloyed which gives it different properties. A common component is carbon, which is usually found in all types of steel. Carbon steel gets a higher degree of hardness thanks to the carbon. For steel to be stainless, the chromium content is very important, this is because a passive chromium oxide film builds up when the chromium content is over 10.5%. Another common ingredient is nickel, which is used to provide better weldability and formability. For the steel to become austenitic, 8% nickel is required. Austenite is a metallurgical term which means, among other things, that the iron loses all magnetic properties. Other constituents of stainless steel are manganese, molybdenum and nitrogen.
