About Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is the generic term used to represent the family of corrosion resistance alloys. This metal derives its name because it does not stain, rust or corrode, hence, called “STAINLESS STEEL”. Its properties are more enhanced with other elements such as Molybdenum, Nickel and nitrogen. With addition of these elements SS is produced in variety of grades for usage in range of industries as per their requirement.
One of the unique features of this metal, is that it can be reused and recycled, making it environment friendly. Over 50% of the new stainless steel is made from re-melted scrap-metal making it a ‘Green Metal’. Stainless Steel is also dubbed as ‘Wonder Metal’ because of its distinguished characteristic like low maintenance, weld ability, aesthetic appeal, durability, low life cycle cost, good erosion and corrosion resistance. These qualities make it an ideal material for many applications for usage in various end use sectors.
The basic principle of using stainless steel comes from its ability to resists corrosion. The ability to resist corrosion comes by adding chromium to Iron. When a minimum 10.5 % Chromium is added to iron it becomes corrosion resistance. This resistance comes from the formation of an oxide layer of chromium at the surface which does not allow iron in stainless steel to corrode. The formation of this layer is dynamic. In case you scratch or damage the surface then it takes oxygen from the atmosphere and reform the chromium oxide layer. This process is known as re-passivation. Therefore stainless steel remains protected all the time with the help of this passive layer. This ability also gives an opportunity to reduce the usage of paints for corrosion protection thereby saving cost and environment. To understand the self-passivation phenomena please refer to the picture below.
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Apart from corrosion resistance other sterling properties of stainless steels makes it a preferred choice compared to other competing materials for the sugar Industry. Some of the key properties has been explained below.
- Hygiene The easy cleaning ability of stainless makes it the first choice for strict hygiene conditions required when dealing with production of Sugar.
- Strength-to-weight advantage The work-hardening property of austenitic grades, that results in a significant strengthening of the material from cold-working alone, and the high strength duplex grades, high strength and wear of some ferritic-martensitic type grades allow reduced material thickness over conventional grades, and therefore cost savings.
- Ease of fabrication Stainless Steel can be cut, welded, formed, machined, and fabricated as readily as traditional steels.
- Impact resistance Stainless steels are known to have higher impact resistance compared to steel.
- Long term value When the total life cycle costs are considered, stainless is often the least expensive material option.
- Environmental compatibility In use stainless steel is durable and requires a minimum of maintenance, outlasting many competing products and eliminating requirements for additional potentially hazardous materials such as paint, fire protective coatings, cleaners and solvents. Stainless steel is a valuable scrap material. It is 100% recyclable and a preferred raw material input by steel makers.