The material that is know as stainless steel (or sometimes known as “Rostfrei” or “Inox”) is a very common feature of the 21st century living, so much so that there cannot be many of us that have not seen, handles or touched articles made from it. How many of us actually know what stainless steel actually is though?
All types of steel, including stainless steel is not actually any type of single metal, they are actually an alloy or a material that is made from two or more separate elements alloyed or melted together. All steels have something in common, and that is that their major ingredient is a metal iron – and this iron, to which a very small amount of carbon has been added. Stainless steel was invented in the twentieth century when it was found that a certain amount of metal chromium (around 11 percent) added to normal steel gave it a much brighter and more shiney gloss effect, which also made it highly resistant to tarnishing and also rusting. The rust resisting properties which are now called “corrosion resistance” is what puts stainless steel aside from most other forms of steel.
Stainless steel is a solid material and not some kind of coated metal. It does not have a special coating applied to in order to make it into stainless steel. Conventional steels and, also, several other metals, can often be plated with white metal such as chromium, zinc or nickel to make sure they are protected on their surfaces to provide other surface characteristics. Some such coatings have benefits and are widely used today. The danger with coating can be that the coating can be penetrated or damaged in some way which will make its protective qualities less effective.
Stainless steel is everywhere, from the many qualities it has with its rust free characteristics which give it its name. However, soon after its discovery, it was known that the metal had many more properties which would make it suitable for lots of different uses which made stainless steel an invaluable invention. Some of the many uses are listed below for items in the home.
Kitchen equipment, dishes, tableware etc.
Pans / cookware
BBQs and Ovens
Ladders
TV Cabinets
In the town you will also see a lot of stainless steel.
Park benches
Steel bollards
Tree grilles
Lifts and escalators
One of the major users of steel equipment is people in the building industry and construction.
Industry
Equipment for the processing of food
Automotive construction
Chemical and fuel tankers
While stainless steel in its original form (iron and 12 chromium) is still widespread, engineers now have a much broader choice of over 100 different grades of stainless steel – these are usually sub classified into metallurgical ‘families’ including the ferrite, duplex and martenstic families.
The amount of iron to chromium may also be varied and some elements such as nickel, manganese and nitrogen may be added to a make a wider range of capabilities in the steel. Each type of stainless steel has its own unique properties and it will be produced in accordance to a national standard.
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