JAWAHARLAL NEHRU TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY HYDERABAD

Material Science and Metallurgy

II Year B.Tech.I Sem

UNIT-III MODULE -VII

 UNIT –III
Contents

CAST IRONS AND STEELS:

Structure and properties of White Cast iron, Malleable Cast iron, grey cast
iron, Spheroidal graphite cast iron, Alloy cast irons.
Classification of steels, structure and properties of plain carbon steels, Low
alloy steels, Hadfield manganese steels, tool and die steels.
Metals Classification
 Classification
Metals can be divided into 2 groups
Metals
Ferrous Metals Non- Ferrous Metals

Iron Aluminum

Low Carbon Steel Copper

Medium Carbon Steel Brass

High Carbon Steel Bronze

Cast Iron Zinc

Stainless Steel Lead

Tool Steels Tin

Others Others
7
 FERROUS MATERIAL - STEELS
• Steels - alloys of iron-carbon.
- May contain other alloying elements.
• Several grades are available
• Low Alloy (<10 wt%)
.
–Low Carbon (<0.25 wt% C)
–Medium Carbon (0.25 to 0.60 wt% C)
–High Carbon (0.6 to 1.4 wt% C)

•High Alloy
– Stainless Steel (>11 wt% Cr)
- Tool Steel
EFFECT OF CARBON ON PROPERTIES OF STEELS
STEEL
This is by far the most important engineering
material and there is an enormous variety of
steel to meet the wide variety of
engineering requirements. Steel is basically
an alloy of iron and carbon in which the
carbon content can be less than 1.7% and
carbon is present in the form of iron carbide
to impart hardness and strength.
Two main categories of steel are
(a) Plain carbon steel
(b)Alloy steel.
PLAIN CARBON STEEL
The properties of plain carbon steel depend
mainly on the carbon percentages and other
alloying elements are not usually present in
more than 0.5 to 1% such as 0.5% Si or 1% Mn
etc. There is a large variety of plane carbon
steel and they are designated as C01, C14,
C45 and C70 and so on where the number
indicates the carbon percentage.
Following categorization of these steels is
sometimes made for convenience:
 D e a d mild steel- up to 0.15% C

 Low carbon steel or mild steel- 0.15 to 0.46%

C
 Medium carbon steel- 0.45 to 0.8% C.
 High carbon steel- 0.8 to 1.5% C
LOW CARBON STEEL-(MILD STEELS (OR) SOFT STEELS)-
• No alloying element other than carbon is present in low
carbon steel.
• It has carbon content of 0.15% to 0.45%. However there
may small magnitude of P, S, Si and Mn.
• They are present as impurities as it is difficult to remove
them in the process of smelting.
• Because of low carbon percentage it cannot undergo heat
treatment process.
• Its hardness cannot be increased by conventional heat
treatment method.(Cold work can be done)
• The hardness number is about 150BHN. It has lower
tensile strength and malleable.
 Properties:
 Soft, ductile, malleable, tough, machinable, weldable and non-
hardenable
 Least expensive
 Cold working is necessary to improve the strength
 Applications: Wires, nails, rivets, screws, panels, welding rods, ship
plates, boiler plates and tubes, fan blades, gears, valves, camshafts,
crankshafts, connecting rods, railway axles, cross-heads, etc
Steel
nuts

Fence

Steel wires

11
Low carbon steels
Microstructure of low of
Carbon steel

13
 Mild steels
 % C = 0.15-0.25
 Microstructure consists of about 25% pearlite in
a ferrite matrix
 Properties:
 High strength, low ductility as compared
to conventional low carbon steels (0.1% C)
 Excellent weldability
 Y.S. = 300-350MPa, U.T.S = 400-
450MPa,
%elongation = 26-30
 HAZ near the weld attains a temperature above A3 and
becomes austenite. When the welding is complete this
region cools more rapidly than in air cooling, due to self-
quenching
 If martensite forms, its hardness is less that 45Rc
 Applications: Ship hulls, boilers, oil pipelines, I beams,
H beams, angles, channels, grills, building bars etc
 Weathering steels: Adding phosphorous and copper to
mild steels to improve the resistance to atmospheric
corrosion
MEDIUM CARBON STEEL-(MACHINERY STEELS)
• The carbon content of medium carbon steel is 0.45% to
0.65%.
• Medium carbon steels has higher tensile strength and
hardness than low carbon steels.
• The hardness number is about 300BHN.
• Medium carbon steels responds slightly to heat
treatment process and hence its hardness can be
further increased if required for a particular
application.
• They also have better machining qualities. Generally
they are hot worked.
Properties and Applications
 Bright fibrous structure when fractured
 Tough and more elastic in comparison to wrought iron
 Easily forged , welded , elongated due to ductility
 Good malleability
 Its tensile strength is better than cast iron and wrought iron
 Compressive strength is better than wrought iron but lesser than cast
iron

Applications-
Bolts, axles, springs, Hooks, wire ropes, shafts,
connecting rods, spindles, rail axles, gears, turbine
bucket wheels, steering arms and other machine
components which require medium strength.
Balls of Ball Mill

Axle

Rims of
bicycle
17
Microstructure of Medium
Carbon Steel

18
 HIGH CARBON STEEL
• It has carbon content of 0.65% to 1.7%.
• High carbon steels has higher tensile strength and
hardness than medium carbon steels.
• The hardness number is about 500BHN.
• High carbon steels responds readily to heat treatment
process and hence its hardness can be further increased
to desired values. They have good wear resistance.
• Generally they are hot worked.
Properties and Applications
 They are hardest and strongest among plain carbon steels but least ductile.
 They have poor formability, machinability & weldability as compared to medium carbon steel; but good
hardenability.
 The alloying elements such as tungsten, molybdenum, chromium & vanadium can be added in these steels
to form hard & wear resistant carbide compounds. Such high carbon steels with carbide compounds can
be used for making tools & dies.
Applications-
wrenches, chisels, punches and rail wheels, files, cutting tools like drills, wood working
tools and rails, rods for reinforced concrete, forging dies, knives, drawing dies, saws
etc.
Microstructure of High
Carbon Steel

21
Lock Washers Lock Washers

Valve
Springs

Wrenches 22
Limitations of Plain Carbon
Steel

I. The strength of plain carbon steels cannot be increased beyond 700 Mpa
without substantial loss in ductility & impact strength.

II. They have poor impact strength at low temperatures.

III. They have poor corrosion resistance & oxidation resistance.

IV. Properties do not remain uniform for larger thickness of plain carbon
steels.

V. They are not deep hardenable. 23

 Effect of impurity elements on
properties of plain carbon steels

 There are four common impurity elements in plain

carbon steels
a. Silicon
b. Manganese
c. Sulphur
d. Phosphorus.
 The properties of plain carbon steels primarily depend upon
the carbon content & to a large extent upon these four impurity
elements. 24
Silicon
 Its content in plain carbon steel varies from 0.05% to 0.30% .
 It is a good strengthened of ferrite in steels.
 It increases strength, hardness & toughness without loss
of ductility.
 It is strong deoxidizer and removes dissolved gases & oxidizes
during solidification of steel.
25
Manganese
 The manganese content in plain carbon steel varies from 0.3%
to 1.0%.
 It decreases the harmful effect of sulphur, i.e. brittleness at
high temperature by forming MnS thereby reducing content of FeS.
 It increases the hardenability of the steel.
 It dissolves in ferrite & increases yield strength, tensile
strength, toughness & ductility considerably.
26
Sulphur
 Normally, sulphur content in the steel should be allowed to exceed
0.05%.
 The inclusions of FeS soften & may melt at rolling or forging
temperatures reducing the tenacity of the hot metal & sometimes causing
disintegration by cracking in the rolls or under the hammer.

 This is called as hot shortness or hot embrittlement.

27
Phosphorus
 The maximum content of phosphorus does not exceed 0.04%.
 Phosphorus dissolves in ferrite, increasing strength, hardness &
improving the resistance to corrosion. So, it is added to low carbon
steels up to 0.12%.
 It is added to improve machinability of certain grades of free cutting
steels up to a maximum content of 0.12%.
 AISI - SAE CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
AISI XXXX
American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI)
 classifiesalloys by chemistry
 4 digit number
 1st number is the major alloying element
 2nd number designates the subgroup alloying element OR the
relative percent of primary alloying element.
 last two numbers approximate amount of
carbon (expresses in 0.01%)
For Example :
•SAE 1018 indicates non-modified carbon
steel containing 0.18% of carbon.
•SAE 5130 indicates a chromium steel
alloy, containing 1% of chromium and
0.30% of carbon.
AISI – American Iron and Steel Institute
SAE – Society of Automotive Engineers
ASME – American Society of Mechanical Engineers
ASTM -The American Society for Testing and Materials
AFS - American Foundry Society
AISI - SAE CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM

 letter prefix to designate the process used to produce the

steel
 E = electric furnace
 X = indicates permissible variations
 If a letter is inserted between the 2nd and 3rd number
 B = boron has been added
 L = lead has been added
 Letter suffix
 H = when hardenability is a major requirement
 Other designation organizations
 ASTM and MIL
ALLOY STEEL
These are steels in which elements other than carbon are
added in sufficient quantities to impart desired properties,
such as wear resistance, corrosion resistance, electric or
magnetic properties.

Chief alloying elements added are usually

•Nickel for strength and toughness

•Chromium for hardness and strength

•Tungsten for hardness at elevated temperature

•Vanadium for tensile strength

•Manganese for high strength in hot rolled and heat treated

condition
•Silicon for high elastic limit

•Cobalt for hardness

•Molybdenum for extra tensile strength

 EFFECTS OF ALLOYING ELEMENTS ON STEEL
 Manganese contributes to strength and hardness; dependent upon the carbon
content. Increasing the manganese content decreases ductility and
weldability. Manganese has a significant effect on the hardenability of steel.
 Phosphorus increases strength and hardness and decreases ductility and
notch impact toughness of steel.
 Sulfur decreases ductility and notch impact toughness especially in the
transverse direction. Weldability decreases with increasing sulfur content.
Sulfur is found primarily in the form of sulfide inclusions.
 Silicon is one of the principal deoxidizers used in steelmaking. Silicon is less
effective than manganese in increasing as-rolled strength and hardness. In low-
carbon steels, silicon is generally detrimental to surface quality.
 Copper in significant amounts is detrimental to hot-working steels. Copper can
be detrimental to surface quality. Copper is beneficial to atmospheric corrosion
resistance when present in amounts exceeding 0.20%.
 Nickel is a ferrite strengthener. Nickel does not form carbides in steel. It
remains in solution in ferrite, strengthening and toughening the ferrite
phase. Nickel increases the hardenability and impact strength of
steels.
 Molybdenum increases the hardenability of steel. It enhances the creep strength
of low-alloy steels at elevated temperatures.
Free cutting steels
Free machining steel are basically carbon steels and their machinability is
increased by addition of sulfur, phosphorus and lead
sulfur up to 0.33% combines with manganese 0.7 two 1.6% to form
manganese sulfide inclusions which promote the formation of brittle chips
this reduces friction and enables to obtain the satisfactory surface finish
phosphorus dissolved in the ferrite increases hardness and brittleness and
produces smooth bright surface during the machining
lead to 0.35% can be added to improve machinability  Mn + S = MnS
these steels are used for bolts nuts and screws  P + Fe = Fe3P
 High strength low alloy (HLSA) OR Micro-
alloyed steels
 High carbon steels is not suitable for structural steals because of tendency of brittle fracture
hence they are alloyed.
 % C: 0.07-0.13% with small (< 0.5%) additions of Ti, V, Nb and Al
 Properties:
 High strength to weight ratio
 Good ductility, malleability, formability, toughness and weldability
 Y. S. = 400-700MPa, U. T. S. = 500-800MPa, % Elongation = 18-25%
 Superior properties because of ultrafine grain size(V), solid solution strengthening of ferrite,
precipitation of carbides and nitrides and martensitic or bainitic transformation which are
likely to occur in these steels due to increased hardenability
 Applications: Oil and gas pipelines, Automotive (reinforcement parts, beams or welded
tubes), construction and farm machinery, industrial equipment, storage tanks, and passenger
car components, bridges.
 Maraging steels
 These steels can be air hardened by martensite transformation and
subsequently precipitation hardened by aging and hence the name maraging
steels
 Composition: 0.03% C, 18-25% Ni, 3-5%Mo, 3-8% Co and 0.2-1.6% Ti, with
small amounts of Al
 Formed by martensite transformation (comparatively soft because of
low carbon content) + Cold working (as desired) + Aging @ 500ᵒ C
 During aging, strain induced precipiatation hardening occurs due to
the precipitation of Ni3TiAl and Ni3Mo phases
 Y. S. upto 1800 MPa with excellent fracture toughness
 Good weldability
 Expensive
 Applications: Rocket casing and other aerospace applications, pressure vessels,
injection moulds and dies
 TRIP steels
 Stands for Transformation Induced Plasticity
 Composition: 0.25% C, 2% Mn, 2% Si, 8% Ni, 9% Cr and 4% Mo
 Expensive and hence used for specialized applications
 Rail steels
 Structural parts used by railways such as rails, wheels, axles, are either forged,
or hot rolled and have carbon of 0.5-0.65%
 Higher level of carbon combines with about 1% Mn shifts
eutectoid composition sufficiently to a yield a mostly pearlitic structure
 Lowering of transformation temperature by Mn results in fine pearlite
 Weight loss due to wear of rail steels decreases with increasing hardness of the
steel and decreasing interlamellar spacing of pearlite
 Spring steel
 spring steels are basically silicon Manganese steels .
 They possess high elastic limit good ductility and high fatigue strength
 Carbon content: 0.5-0.65%,
 Quenched and tempered to get a yield strength of about 1500MPa
 Silicone is always present in all steels as deoxidizer if it still contains more
than .6% silicon then it is called Silicon steels
 The addition of manganese provides high strength and toughness
 silicon manganese steels containing 0.6% carbon ,0.9 manganese 0.2% silicon
is widely used for Coils & laminated Springs
 Also used for chisels and punches
 Ni-Cr-Mo low alloy steels
 Ni increases toughness of ferrite; Cr increases hardenability, strength and wear
resistance but at the expense of toughness. Thus for structural alloys Ni/Cr should be
about 2.5
 To reduce temper embrittleness induced due to Ni-Cr, 0.25% Mo is added
 Well known Ni-Cr-Mo low alloy steel is AISI 4340
 For same ductility and toughness, low alloy steel possess superior strength
 Conversely for same strength, the low alloy steel would have larger ductility
and toughness
 High hardenability implies slower cooling rates and hence less residual stresses
 High hardenability makes welding difficult
 App: Automobile axles, gears, crankshafts, connecting rods , etc
 Manganese Steels:

 Either less than 2% or more than 10% because Mn content between 2-10% induces
brittleness
 Dissolves in ferrite and increases yield strength, tensile strength, toughness and hardness
 Least expensive and hence added to all structural steels for strengthening
 Enhances response to heat treatment
 Normalizing improves impact property of manganese steels
 Combines with S and forms MnS and reduces detrimental effects of FeS
 Improves machinability and hence added to free cutting steels upto maximum
1.6%
 Applications:
 Low carbon steels with Mn content 1.65-1.9%: Rails, gears, axles, connecting rods,
crankshafts, bolts, nuts, studs, steering levers, aircraft fittings and gun barrels
 Hadfield steel: contains high Mn in steel
 1-1.2 % C, 12-14% Mn
 Extremely tough, wear resistant and non-magnetic on suitable heat
treatment (Heating: 1000ᵒ C, holding and quenching in water)
 Mn is austenitic stabilizer and with high amount Mn, critical temperature is
sufficiently lower, so that by rapid cooling austenitic structure can be obtained
at room temperature
 Applications: Jaw plates for stone crusher, frogs in rail road tracks,
dredge bucket and power shovel teeth
TOOL STEELS & DIE STEELS
 Properties/Requirements
 Hardenability
 Rates the steel on the probability of hardening during cracking
 Depth of hardening: Higher the alloying elements, higher is the depth of hardening
 Resistance to decarburisation:
 Ability to resist loss of carbon at the surface during hardening
 Loss of carbon leads to softening and cracking
 Red hardness
 Capacity to withstand hardness at high temperatures
 HSS have high red hardness as compared to other tool steels
 Wear resistance
 Removal of surface area of a material by abrasion, erosion, adhesion and other processes can
cause wear and tear of the material
 Abrasion: Removal of material by action of hard, sharp particles or projections on sliding
surface
 Erosion: Progressive loss of material from surface by mechanical action of fluid on surface
 Adhesive wear: Wear caused by action of relatively smooth surfaces sliding together
 Toughness
 Must absorb sufficient energy and resist breaking
 Should be rigid and there should be no plastic deformation
 Machinability:
 Ease of machining
 Specific alloying elements to be added to improve machinability
Tool and die steels
Tool steels are carbon and low alloy steels having high
hardness strength and wear resistance
They are used to make cutting tools, measuring instruments
and dies
high speed tool steel complex alloy steels which are capable
of retaining high hardness at high temperatures
Die steels: cold working dies are made of steels that possess
sufficient toughness in addition to their high hardness and
wear resistance .
small dies are commonly made of plain carbon steels . Larger
and more complex dies are made up of alloy steels
 Types of tool steels
Tool steels

Cold Hot work High Special

work tool tool speed tool purpose
steels steels tool steels
steels
(H-
series)
Water Oil Air High carbon
hardening hardening hardening high
(W- chromium
(O- (A-
series) series) series) (D-series)
 Water hardening tool steels (W1) grade
 Composition: % C = 0.6-1.4%
 Properties:
 High hardness and wear resistance at low temp, can’t retain at high temp
 Used when maintenance of sharp cutting edges and wear resistance are more
Important.
 Poor hardenability, thus hardened by water and hence known as
water hardening steels
 Applications: Blanking dies, threading dies, tube drawing dies, drills, forming
tools, hammers, chisels, wood working tools, shear blades, knives and razors
 Drawbacks:
 Poor red hardness and strength
 More distortions
 Shallow hardening type
 More tendency of oxidation, decarburisation and grain coarsening
 To eliminate this drawbacks, small amount of Cr, V and Mo are added
 Oil hardening tool steels (O1) grade
 High carbon low alloy steels are hardened by oil quenching
 Also known as oil hardening non-shrinkage (OHNS) steels(less distortions
due to oil hardening)
 Composition: 1% C, 0.95% Mn, 0.5% W, 0.75% Cr, 0.2% V and
small amounts of Mo
 Better hardenability than water hardened steels and can be hardened by oil
quenching
 Less expensive than other tool steels
 Distortion during hardening is less and hence called as oil hardening
non-
shrinkage tool steels
 Applications: Blanking and forming dies, shear blades, master tools, cutting
tools and gauges
Air /Oil hardening tool steels (D1 Grade)
 High carbon high chromium steels possess good hardenability and can be hardened by
oil quenching or air cooling
 Composition: % C > 1.5 and some grades contain % C > 2, % Cr = 12, with
some other alloying elements like W, Mo, and V
 Properties:
 High hardenability
 Less distortions
 High wear resistance and good depth of hardening
 Applications: Thread rolling and slitting dies, drawing dies, intricate die
shapes, gauges and punches shear blades, punching, cold forming rolls, cutting tools,
gauges etc
 Oil hardening, air hardening and HCHC show less distortion during hardening and hence are
called as non-deforming or non-shrinkage tool steels
 Hot work tool steels
 Composition: % C = 0.35-0.65 with alloying elements varying from low to
high content
 Properties:
 Good strength, toughness, hardness and wear resistance at
elevated temperatures
 Excellent resistance to tempering at elevated temperature
 Depending upon principal alloying elements, classified as;
 Chromium type tool steels(H11 grade): (HWTS)
 Composition: % C = 0.35-0.55, 3-7% Cr, with small amounts of W, Mo and V
 Properties: High ductility, toughness and resistance to splitting
 Applications: Aluminium and Magnesium die casting dies, extrusion
dies, forging dies, mandrels and hot sheers
 Tungsten type tool steels(T1 grade) (HSS)
 Composition: % C = 0.3-0.5, 2-12% Cr, 9-18% W
 Properties: Excellent red hardness and to wear at
resistance temperature elevated
 Applications: Dummy blocks, hot extrusion dies for brass, nickel and steel,
forging dies and hot punches
 steels
 Molybdenum type HSS tool steels (M1 grade)
 Composition: % C = 0.55-0.65, 14-20% alloying elements like Mo(8%),
Cr(4%), V(1%) and W(1.5%)
 Properties: High abrasion resistance, less distortions
 Applications: twist drills, threading dies, punches, milling cutters, taps etc

Dummy block and its use

 High speed steels (HSS)

Milling cutter Drawing dies

M-series drill bits with titanium
coating

Tap
s

Wood working tools

STAINLESS STEELS
STAINLESS STEELS
 steel
 Have high corrosion resistance and hence they do not corrode in most of the
usual environment conditions; hence called stainless steels
 Exhibits extraordinary corrosion resistance due to formation of a very thin
layer chromium oxide is formed on the surface
 Composition of the alloy varies from alloy to alloy and with treatment of alloy
such as rolling, pickling and heating; and thus corrosion resistance also varies
 For sufficient corrosion resistance, minimum Cr content in solid solution form
should be greater than 12%
 When Cr added to steel, it first combines with carbon and form complex
chromium carbides and remaining goes in solid solution form
 Since the Cr chromium going with carbon is 17times the amount of carbon, the
Cr is solid solution form will be:
Cr in solid solution form = Total Cr – 17 x %C
 Higher the Cr is solid solution form and lesser the amount of carbides, the
corrosion resistance is more
 In addition to Cr, many other elements like Ni, Mn, Mo, Ti, Nb, Ta etc are
added to improve the properties
 steel
 PROPERTIES OF STAINLESS STEEL:
 Corrosion resistant
 High ductility and formability
 Good mechanical properties at low and high temperatures
 High resistance to scaling and oxidation at elevated
temperatures
 Good weldability
 Good machinability
 Good creep resistance
 Excellent surface finish and appearance
 TYPES OF STAINLESS STEEL:
 Martensitic stainless steel
 Ferritic stainless steel
 Austenitic stainless steel
 Precipitation hardened stainless steel
 Duplex SS (Ferrite & Austenite)
 Austenitic stainless steel (Group C)
 Includes at least 24% of total of Cr, Ni and Mn usually called as 18/8 s.s
 Ni and Mn are austenitic stabilizers and hence these steels contain austenite at
room temperature and called as austenitic stainless steel
 Cannot be hardened by heat treatment but has properties of being able to work
hardened to get high strength while retaining ductility and toughness
 Composition of AISI 202: 17-19% Cr, 4-6% Ni, 7-10% Mn, < 0.15%
C,
0.25% N
 Properties: Soft, ductile, malleable (more than group B), non-magnetic,
excellent cold forming strength, high temperature strength, high coefficient of
thermal expansion, low thermal conductivity, high corrosion resistance (more
than group A and B, because of high amount of nickel and chromium)
 Applications: Engine manifolds, food and chemical plants, tubular
exchangers, utensils, wrist watches, sanitary fittings etc
 Ferritic stainless steel (Group B)
 Amount of Cr in solid solution form is greater than 13% i.e.
% Cr – (17 x % C) > 13
 Cr is ferrite stabiliser and at 12.5% Cr austenitic phase disappears, thus steels
containing more than 13% Cr show only ferrite from room temperature to high
temperature and are called ferritic stainless steel
 Cannot be hardened by martensitic transformation
 Properties: High corrosion and oxidation resistance as compared to group A,
soft, ductile, malleable and magnetic in nature, low cost (absence of Ni), good
formability
 Typical mechanical properties in annealed condition;
 Y. S. = 350MPa, U. T. S. = 550 MPa, % elongation = 30
 Composition of AISI 430: 14-18% Cr, < 0.12% C, with small amounts of Mo,
V
 Applications: Vessels in chemical and food industries, pressure vessels,
furnace parts, heaters, heat exchangers, juice carrying pipes in sugar industries,
restaurant equipments, pots and pans etc
 Martensitic stainless steel (Group A)
 Amount of Cr in solid solution form is less than 13%
i.e.
% Cr – (17 x % C) < 13
 Shows austenitic phase at high temperature and hence
can be hardened by martensitic transformation. Thus,
called as martensitic stainless steel
 Properties: Hard, wear resistant, corrosion resistant
and magnetic in nature
 Typical mechanical properties in hardened condition;
 Y. S. = 1200MPa, U. T. S. = 1300 MPa,
% elongation = 5
 Composition of AISI 410: 12-14% Cr,
< 0.15 %C

 Applications: Springs, ball bearings,

valves, razors and razor blades, surgical
instruments, cutting tools, cutlery items Surgical instruments
etc
 DUPLEX
• These steels have a microstructure which is approximately 50%
ferritic and 50% austenitic. This gives them a higher strength than
either ferritic or austenitic steels.
• They are resistant to stress corrosion cracking.
• They are weldable but need care in selection of welding consumables
and heat input.
• They have moderate formability. They are magnetic but not so much
as the ferritic, martensitic.
 PRECIPITATION HARDENING (PH)
• These steels can develop very high strength by adding elements
such as Copper, Niobium and Aluminium to the steel.
• With a suitable “aging” heat treatment, very fine particles form in
the matrix of the steel which imparts strength.
• These steels can be machined to quite intricate shapes requiring
good tolerances.
• Corrosion resistance is comparable to standard austenitic steels
 APPLICATIONS OF STAINLESS STEEL

STAINLESS STEELS ARE USED IN AN ALMOST ENDLESS NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS AND

INDUSTRIES:
bulk materials handling equipment petroleum refining,
 building exteriors and roofing water supply piping
automobile components (exhaust, consumer products
trim/decorative, engine, fasteners, marine and
tubing)
chemical processing plants shipbuilding
pollution control
(scrubbers and heat exchangers)
 sporting goods (snow
pulp and paper manufacturing skis)
 transportation (rail cars)