Stainless Steels

Abstract Stainless steels are those alloys of iron and chromium, with or without other elements, containing at least 11% chromium. There are six basic classifications of stainless steels: ferritic, martensitic, martensitic age hardening, duplex austenitic‐ferritic, and austenitic. The corrosion behavior of the alloying elements in pure form influences the corrosion properties of the stainless or nickel grades containing them. Some forms of corrosion are general corrosion, stress corrosion cracking, pitting corrosion, crevice corrosion, intergranular corrosion and galvanic Corrosion. This chapter presents tables on alloy composition of ferritic, martensitic, martensitic age hardening, duplex austenitic‐ferritic, and austenitic stainless steel. It also discusses the metallurgical aspects of alloy selection. The chapter explains some important differences between welding carbon steel and welding stainless steel, and discusses specific issues regarding duplex stainless steels and weld fillers for the high‐molybdenum alloys.