304
: Austenitic Cr-Ni stainless steel. Better corrosion resistance than Type 302. High ductility, excellent drawing, forming, and spinning properties. Essentially non-magnetic, becomes slightly magnetic when cold worked. Low carbon content means less carbide precipitation in the heat-affected zone during welding and a lower susceptibility to intergranular corrosion.
Applications: beer kegs, bellows, chemical equipment, coal hopper linings, cooking equipment, cooling coils, cryogenic vessels, dairy equipment, evaporators, flatware utensils, feedwater tubing, flexible metal hose, food processing equipment, hospital surgical equipment, hypodermic needles, kitchen sinks, marine equipment and fasteners, nuclear vessels, oil well filter screens, refrigeration equipment, paper industry, pots and pans, pressure vessels, sanitary fittings, valves, shipping drums, spinning, still tubes, textile dyeing equipment, tubing.
Corrosion Resistance: resists most oxidizing acids and salt spray.
303
: An austenitic free-machining stainless steel. The standard 18-8 stainless steels are more difficult to turn, mill and drill which restricts their use when considerable machining is required. The additional sulfur present in 303 assists in breaking up turnings which reduces drag on the cutting tool. This permits greater machining speed and tends to produce smoother machined finishes which in turn lowers production costs.
This material is not as resistant to general corrosion as is 304. It tends to form a rust film more readily in moist atmospheres and is very susceptible to pitting or localized corrosion in solutions of chlorides, iodides, or bromides. Under relatively dry conditions or in mildly corrosive environments, 303 resists rust. It also has good resistance to oxidation up to 1700°F. 303 is not recommended for vessels containing gases or liquids under high pressure. It is available as hot rolled, annealed and pickled (HRAP) or hot rolled, annealed only (HRA) plate.
Applications
Utilized wherever a combination of good corrosion resistance and considerable machining is required for a part. Applications include aircraft fittings, computer motor holder rings, bushings, fittings, pump and valve parts, screw machine products, shafts and other parts requiring extensive machining.
316
: Stainless Steel 316 contains molybdenum. This addition increases general corrosion resistance, improves resistance to pitting from chloride ion solutions, and provides increased strength at elevated temperatures.
316L
: Similar to Type 316 for superior corrosion resistance, but also has superior resistance to intergranular corrosion following welding or stress relieving. Good corrosion resistance to most chemicals, salts, and acids and molybdenum content helps resistance. Similar to Type 316 for superior corrosion resistance, but also has superior resistance to intergranular corrosion following welding or stress relieving. Good corrosion resistance to most chemicals, salts, and acids and molybdenum content helps resistance to marine environments. The low carbon content of 316L reduces the possibility of in vivo corrosion for medical implant use. High creep strength at elevated temperatures. 316L has fabrication characteristics similar to Types 302 and 304.
Applications: biomedical implants, chemical processing, food processing, photographic, pharmaceutical, textile finishing, marine exterior trim.
416
: 416 is a free-machining stainless steel specifically designed to exhibit improved machinability. These modifications retain, in so far as possible, the good mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of the basic or patent compositions which they represent. Sulfur is added to produce the free-machine characteristics. Type 416 is a martensitic 12 to 13% Cr free-machining stainless steel which can be hardened by heat treatment to higher strength and hardness levels. It has better machining properties than the austenitic grades, but lower corrosion resistance.
420
: Stainless Steel 420 provides corrosion resistance similar to Type 410 martensitic stainless steel plus increased strength and hardness. It is magnetic in both the annealed and hardened conditions. Maximum corrosion resistance is attained only in the fully hardened of fully hardened and stress relieved condition. It is never used in the annealed condition. Typical uses include cutlery, surgical and dental instruments, scissors, tapes and straight edges. The alloy is not normally used at temperatures exceeding 800°F due to rapid softening and loss of corrosion resistance.
440
: Heat treatable, high wear resistance, moderate corrosion resistance in mild environments
15-5
: Martensitic, precipitative hardening (maraging), combining high strength and hardness with excellent corrosion resistance. Applications include valve parts, fittings and fasteners, shafts, gears, chemical process equipment, paper mill equipment, aircraft components and nuclear reactor components.
17-4PH
: Provides an outstanding combination of high strength, good corrosion resistance, good mechanical properties at temperatures up to 600°F (316°C), and good toughness in both base metal and welds. Short-time, low-temperature heat treatments minimize distortion and scaling. This alloy is widely used in the aerospace, chemical, petrochemical, food processing, paper and general metalworking industries.
17-7PH
: Provides high strength and hardness, excellent fatigue properties, good corrosion resistance, good formability, and minimum distortion upon heat treatment. This alloy provides valuable property combinations particularly well suited for aerospace applications. This special alloy also provides benefits for other applications requiring high strength and good corrosion resistance, as well as excellent properties for flat springs at temperatures up to 600°F (310°C).
The material supplied from the mill is in Condition A. After fabrication, and conditioning treatments, the material is precipitation hardened into either Condition TH 1050 or Condition RH 950. To achieve the highest mechanical properties Condition A material is transformed to martensite at the mill by cold reduction to Condition C. After fabrication by the user a single low-temperature heat treatment is preformed to achieve condition CH 900.
188
: Alloy 188 is often used with the gas tungsten arc and gas metal arc processes. Alloy 188 has excellent high temperature strength and oxidation resistance to 2100°F combined with post aging ductility. Small additions of lanthanum account for the excellent oxidation resistance. This alloy has been successfully used for gas turbine, airframe, chemical and nuclear applications. More specifically, the alloy can be used to weld transition ducts, spray bars, flame holders, liners in jet engines and combustion cans.