Stainless Steels

Steels are said to be stainless when they resist

corrosion. this is achieved by dissolving sufficient
chromium in the iron to produce a coherent, adherent,
insulating and regenerating chromium oxide protective
film on the surface.

This is not surprising that these are used in the harsh

environments of the chemical, oil production and
power generation industries, and in utility goods such
as furniture, automotive, cutlery, where both aesthetic
appearance and corrosion resistance are important
design criteria.
The stainless character occurs when the
concentration of chromium exceeds about 12 wt%.

However, even this is not adequate to resist corrosion

in acids such as HCl or H2SO4 higher chromium
concentrations and the judicious use of other solutes
such as molybdenum, nickel and nitrogen is then
needed to ensure a strong material.
 Classification
Creq = (Cr) + 2(Si) + 1.5(Mo) + 5(V) + 5.5(Al) + 1.75(Nb)
+ 1.5(Ti) + 0.75(W)

Nieq = (Ni) + (Co) + 0.5(Mn) + 0.3(Cu) + 25(N) + 30(C)

•martensitic stainless steels

•ferritic stainless steels
•austenitic stainless steels
•duplex stainless steels.
Shaeffler Diagram
The precipitation of M23C6 and M7C3 occurs primarily at
the austenite grain surfaces which are heterogeneous
nucleation sites

it can occur rapidly at temperatures around 750°C. The

chemical composition in the vicinity of the grain
boundaries can be altered by the precipitation of the
chromium-rich particles. The resulting chromium-
depleted zone at the grain boundaries makes them
susceptible to inter-granular anodic-attack even under
stress--free conditions.
Sensitisation in the context of welded samples leads
to the phenomenon of weld decay.

Regions are created in the heat-affected zones of the

welds which precipitate carbides, become sensitised
and fail by localised corrosion, almost as if the weld is
unzipped in the sensitised region.
: A variety of solutions exist to avoid sensitization
•The first one is to reduce the carbon content of the steel, making it
more difficult to precipitate carbides. Stainless steels with an 'L'
associated with their numerical designation (e.g., 304L and 316L) have
been manufactured with carbon cocentrations less than about 0.03 wt%.

•An alternative uses solutes (such as Nb, Ti, V or Ta) which have a
greater affinity for carbon than chromium. These are
called stabilised stainless steels