STAINLESS STEEL

Stainless steel
Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, with up to 2% carbon. When the chromium content of the steel exceeds 11%, the alloy is referred to as stainless steel. Iron exists in two forms, 1. face centered cubic form above 910c 2. body centered cubic form below 910c carbon is practically insoluble in body centered cubic form of iron, but is more soluble in face centered cubic form of iron. at high temperatures steel is a homogenous material with all carbon in solid solution in the iron. stell in this form is called AUSTENTITE. If the austenite is cooled rapidly that is below 210c there may not be sufficient time for the carbon to diffuse out and the alloy consists of body centered cubic lattice containing carbon which is called as MARTENSITE, which is the hardest and the most brittle form of iron carbon combination.

Austenitic type of stainless steel is the most widely used because of the following reasons: 1. ease of forming. 2.greater ductility and malleability. 3.cold workable 4.ease of joining weldable and solderable 5.can be heat treated 6.readily overcomes sensitization. martensitic stainless steel has less corrosion resistance as Cr content is about 13% has the limitation to be used in the field of orthodontics.

Modifying elements and their functions

Apart from iron and carbon some other elements are also added to the stainless steel to modify the physical properties and also to make the unstable phases stable at room temperature. CHROMIUM: Is added to increase the tarnish and corrosion resistance. It also increases the hardness, tensile strength and proportional limit. NICKEL: it strengthens the alloy and helps in increasing the tarnish and corrosion resistance. COBALT: it decreases the hardness. MANGANESE: this acts as scavenger and increases the hardness during quenching. SILICON: it acts as deoxidizer and also as scavenger. TITANIUM: it inhibits the precipitation of the chromium carbide.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Ideal requisites of orthodontic wires

Wires used for active components should exert low and constant forces. Wires of retentive unit should be stiff. Low load deflection rate is desired for springs. Wires should be ductile. Ease of forming. Ease of joining - weldable and solderable. Should be heat treatable. Should have resistance to corrosion. Should be stable in oral enviornment. Should be bio-compatable. Should be cold workable. Should have sufficient strength to withstand the forces applied on it.

Grades of stainless steel

Three grades of stainless steel are used in orthodontics: 1.soft 2.half hard or spring hard 3.hard if much cold working is to be carried out a softer wire is to be selected as itll work harder during manipulation. Conversely a harder material can be selected, if there is a little cold working to be done. The stresses incorporated can be relieved by heat treatment.

 SENSITIZATION: The loss of corrosion resistance of austentitic stainless steel,when heated to temperatures of 400-900 c as in soldering or welding procedures is called as sensitization. The decrease in the resistance to corrosion is due to the precipitation of Cr Carbide at grain boundaries.

 Stabilization: It is a process of preventing the Cr carbide precipitation at the grain boundaries, when stainless steel is subjected to high temperatures as in the case of soldering and welding. titanium is added to stainless steel by approximately 6 times that of the carbon content to inhibit the precipitation of Cr carbide. steel treated in such a manner is called as stabilized stainless steel

 DUCTILITY
The ability of a material to be drawn into wires or the ability of a material to withstand permanent deformation under a tensile load with out fracturing

 MALLEABILITY
It is the ability of a material to withstand permanent deformation under compressive forces without fracturing

WELDING
It is a process by which the parts are joined together by the application of heat and /or pressure with out any intermediate substance.

 SOLDERING
It is a process of joining the metals by the use of an
intermediate alloy which has a lower melting point.

BRAZING
Soldering operation at temperature of above 500 c .

 SWEATING
It is a process of joining two pieces of metal by heating them to a point where the surface melts and approximating them together before it cools down.

STRAIN HARDENING OR WORK HARDENING

Hardening of a metal by cold working is called as strain hardening or work hardening.

Consequences of work hardening

1)increase in hardness 2)greater yield and ultimate strength. 3)less ductility COLD WORKING The deformation of space lattice of metals by mechanical manipulation at room temperature is called as cold working. This process alters certain physical properties of the metals such as ductility.

 HEAT TREATMENT
It is the process of subjecting a metal to a given controlled heat, followed by controlled, sudden or gradual cooling to develop the desired qualities of the metal. Heat treatment can be used to control the internal structure of the metal by making it soft, when it must be worked or hard/tuough when those qualities are required. All metals do not behave equally when subjected to heat treatment. There are two types of heat treatments namely: 1. softening heat treatment or annealing 2. hardening heat treatment or tempering

ANNEALING OF STAINLESS STEEL

It is the softening of the metal by controlled heating and cooling. This process makes the metal more easily contoured to a definite form and makes it less brittle. This also removes the work hardening of a metal.

TEMPERING OF STAINLESS STEEL

stainless cannot be hardened like carbon steel but quenching or by any other heat treatment because of the stability of austenite they can be hardened by cold working.

 Advantages of heat treatment:

1. makes metal more easily contoured 2. less brittle 3. removes work hardening or strain hardening. 4. increases the proportional limit.
5. increases the hardness of the alloy.