Introduction

Additions of chromium (in excess of 12%) to steel compositions, gives rise to a stable
surface film of chromium oxide, the stability of the film increasing with increasing
chromium content. This oxide film confers corrosion resistance and is the basis on
which the stainless steel family is built.

Ferritic Stainless Steels

Low carbon steels containing 12 to 30% chromium are the ferritic stainless steels (e.g.
430, 409) which are not heat treatable. Increases in mechanical properties can only
be achieved by cold working. The corrosion resistance of this group is significantly
better than the high carbon high chrome steels.

Martensitic Stainless Steels

High carbon high chrome steels are heat treatable as a consequence of the higher
carbon content, and are known as martensitic stainless steels (e.g. 410, 416). They
do, however, exhibit lower corrosion resistance due to chromium depletion of the
oxide film. They exhibit good strength and oxidation resistance up to 750°C, although
their creep strength above 600°C is poor.

Austenitic Stainless Steels

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Austenitic stainless steels (e.g. 302, 316) result from additions of nickel (usually
between 10 to 20%) to low carbon steels containing 18 to 25% chrome. These steels
exhibit superior corrosion resistance in a wide range of environments. The properties
can only be modified by cold work. They are also significantly more expensive than
the straight chromium grades. When mention is made of 'stainless steel', it is
generally these non-magnetic steels that are being referred to. While the thermal
expansion of these steels is similar to that of copper, their thermal conductivity is less
than that of alumina at room temperature.

Precipitation Hardened Stainless Steels

Precipitation hardened stainless steels (e.g. 17-4 PH, PH 13-8 Mo) are chromium-
nickel alloys containing precipitation hardening elements such as copper, aluminium
or titanium. The alloys are of two general types; semi austenitic, requiring a dual heat
treatment to achieve final strength properties and martensitic, requiring a single heat
treatment to achieve final strength properties. The main advantage of these alloys is
the low temperature heat treatment required to achieve final strength, which can be as
high as 2 GPa, resulting in minimal scaling and distortion, thus enabling parts to be
finished machined prior to final heat treatment.

It should be noted that chromium has a tendency to migrate to grain boundaries at

elevated temperatures where it forms chromium carbide. This is a serious problem in
the heat affected zones of welds. This effect is known as 'weld decay' and causes
failure due to corrosion along grain boundaries where there is a depletion of
chromium. For welding, a carbon content <0.03% is specified to avoid significant
carbide formation. Alternatively, the steel can be 'stabilised' with the addition of
titanium or niobium which form carbides in preference to chromium.

Although stainless steels are more corrosion resistant than other steels, they are
subject to specific corrosion mechanisms, such as weld decay. Advice must be
sought for particular applications.