Stainless steel - the most purposeful & versatile metal

摘要

Virtually everyone comes into contact with stainless steel daily, if only in the form of cutlery. For engineering applications, however, stainless steel is considered to be more of a specialist material, and only used where essential. This is because it can be difficult to machine compared with carbon steels and aluminium, and more costly to purchase. On the other hand, for some applications - such as those in the food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries - the use of stainless steel is all but essential because of its corrosion resistance. Those design engineers not familiar with stainless steel can soon become confused by the different types and grades, and it is important to select the correct grade in order to create a satisfactory design that can be manufactured at a reasonable cost. Stainless steel differs from carbon steels primarily in its chromium content of at least 10.5 per cent by weight, though adding up to 26 per cent can increase corrosion resistance in harsh environments.