How to choose what stainless steel to use?
In most cases it will be pretty obvious about what stainless steel to use for a particular application. However some people do not know exactly what type of stainless steel to use and more often than not this is dependent upon a number of factors which we are going to discuss.
Firstly you need to address the issue of the corrosive environment where the stainless steel is going to be. This is items such as the atmosphere, concentration of any chemicals, water, chloride content and if there is any acid present.
Next you need to work out what temperature the stainless steel is going to be in as higher temperatures will accelerate corrosion rates and thus indicate that a higher grade will be required. If the stainless steel is going to be subjected to lower temperatures then it may be suggested that tougher austenitic steel is required.
For items such as building and construction a stronger stainless steel will be required and this higher strength can be found in the austenitic, duplex and martensitic stainless steels. Various processes also need to be considered as items such as welding stainless steel could result in the metal becoming weaker whilst some of the types of stainless steel require more care than others when welding.
When selecting the stainless steel to use then you need to work out what the performance of the material is going to be. Does it need to look good? Or does it need to be strong and there isn’t any need for it to look good. Thus surface finish could be important when selecting your stainless steel and if there is a requirement for strong aesthetic appeal this is something that will need to be considered.
Although there are lots of other factors which will affect your selection of stainless steel one of the final points to bear in mind is that it is the specialist who will make the final decision along with their customer but if they require more information then why not come and speak to us here at BS Stainless Ltd as we have the experience and knowledge to confidently advise customers as to what their options are regarding stainless steel.