Stainless steel - 100-year history

Unlike iron, a material that has been in use for more than a thousand years, stainless steel can be considered a "rookie" in materials science. Stainless steel was first manufactured about 100 years. It may sound unbelievable at first, because this metal is ubiquitous in every aspect of modern life, but this is simply a testament to how important stainless steel is a breakthrough. This metal has revolutionized the modern world and has brought important applications in almost all manufacturing areas, from health care and culinary, to automation and construction. Moreover, it outperforms traditional materials like copper, aluminum, and carbon steel.

The secret of stainless steel's success lies in its excellent physical and chemical properties. Stainless steel has abrasion resistance, heat resistance (up to 12000C), resistance to welding, high strength, and stainless. Beyond these properties, this metal doesn't easily react with many materials, and it is inexpensive compared to specialized, non-abrasive alloys. Over the past century, metallurgists have invented and improved ways to make stainless steel, control its properties, and put stainless steel into mass production with consistent quality.

2013 marks the 100th anniversary of the invention of this amazing material, and in this article let's take a look at the history of one of the most important breakthroughs in materials science. .
In 1913, Harry Brearley of Sheffield, UK discovered "stainless" steel. Despite a lot of effort before it, Bearley really got noticed with the invention of the first truly stainless steel, with a 12.8% chromium content.

He added chromium to smelt the iron to produce a metal that did not rust. Chromium is a key material, because of its anti-wear properties. After this discovery, Sheffield itself became synonymous with steel and metallurgy.

Bearley discovered this discovery by accident while trying to solve the abrasion problem of the inner surfaces of the gun barrel for the British army during the opening period of World War I.

After the initial discovery, further improvements to stainless steel took place at a fairly rapid pace. In 1919, Elwood Haynes had a patent for martensitic stainless steel (martensitic), in 1929 William J. Roll in Lucxembourg first discovered scattered hardened stainless steel, and in 1930, stainless steel Dual has been produced for the first time in Sweden at Avesta Ironworks.

The outstanding properties of stainless steel have been recognized over the years, and below is a brief calendar that summarizes some of the milestones in stainless steel history.

• Between 1919 and 1923, stainless steel was used in the making of scalpels, surgical instruments, and cutlery in general in Sheffield.
• In the early 1920s, a combination of chrome and nickel was tested. Stainless Steel
• Known as the "18/8" metal to indicate the percentage of chromium and nickel in steel.
• In 1925, a stainless steel barrel was used to store nitric acid, thereby exhibiting the anti-wear properties of this particular metal.
• In 1926, the first surgical implants made of stainless steel were made.
• The sanitary surface of stainless steel was demonstrated in 1928 when the first stainless steel fermentation vat was used to brew beer. Since then the food and beverage industry has widely used this metal.
• In 1930, the first stainless steel ship was built in the United States.
• 1931 saw the birth of the first stainless steel aircraft.
• Around 1935, stainless steel kitchen sinks were widely used.
• 430 stainless steel (chrome ferritic alloy) was used to create a 0.1mm diameter wire for a voice recorder.
• In 1954, the first stainless steel underwater TV camera has been produced.
• In 1966, the tidal power station with the first stainless steel turbine blades was completed in France.
• In the 1980s, stainless steel was used to make the longest portable flood barrier in the world on the Thames.
• Global stainless steel production reached 31 million Mt in 2010.
• About 11 million washing machines with stainless steel drum were manufactured in China in 2010.

Over the past 100 years, about 100 types of stainless steels have been discovered and commercialized. These fall into four main categories, namely martensite, ferrite, austentic, and duplex (double). Ferritic and martensitic stainless steels are magnetic while austentic types are nonmagnetic. They have different amounts of other alloy metals added, such as nickel, titanium, and copper. Carbon and nitrogen are also added to increase the overall properties of stainless steel.

Currently, China is the largest stainless steel manufacturer in the world. One of the leading stainless steel manufacturers and distributors is Outokumpu, a group of c companies