Stainless steel items and equipment are all around the eyes. Your house, office, garage, and almost every place you visit in your daily routines are filled with this metal. It is used in practically every industry. Most machines and equipment in factories are made from this material.
Modern lives seem incomplete without this metal. This all-around material is known for its versatility. Stainless steel has excellent strength and durability, which makes it an ideal choice for building high-raised skyscrapers and strong bridges. Structural bolts made of stainless steel are often used in building projects to join big steel beams and columns, assuring the structure’s stability and strength. It is recyclable and does not corrode. Hence, every manufacturing industry depends on this resourceful metal to fulfil its needs.
Stainless steel is found in more than 150 grades. But only 15 of them are used for everyday applications. Read on to learn what industries use this robust material and how.
Why Is Stainless Steel Used?
The good features of stainless steel make it convenient for various kinds of use. Stainless steel has good strength, resistance to corrosion, and low maintenance. It has a recyclable rate of 100% and a long life. All the good qualities that they possess will ensure that you do not face any kinds of problems while using them on a regular basis.
Where Is Stainless Steel Used?
Its applications are not limited to a particular industry like manufacturing, civil engineering, or automobiles. Even tiny safety pins, spoons, nail cutters, scissors, and watches, are all made from this quality metal. Explore many more of its applications from the list below:
1. Civil Engineering
This is probably the most common and wide-known application of SS metal as it has all the best qualities of regular steel metal. Still, unlike the usual steel material, it does not rust even after continuous exposure to sunlight, water, wind, etc. The highly-durable, robust, recyclable, and versatile features combined with corrosion resistance make it the perfect choice for civil engineers for construction work.
2. Flyovers And Bridges
Recently, a new stainless steel alloy known as duplex stainless steel has been developed. This provides increased strength in the same amount of material. It is widely used for constructing bridges and flyovers as it is 2x stronger than regular alloys. Hence, it is cost-effective and sturdier than other construction materials.
3. Power Plants
This metal can survive extreme heat and cold. It can also withstand intense pressure. Hence, these characteristics make it an ideal choice for the power plant industry. It is used in a power plant’s pressure tubes, reactor tanks, and other equipment.
4. Kitchen Utensils
Stainless steel is the preferred material for manufacturing kitchen items like spoons, bowls, plates, knives, and many more. Almost all kitchen accessories, cookware, and cutlery use this metal. You can find it in your saucepans, cookers, sinks, and every other kitchen item. Even refrigerators and dishwashers have a stainless steel finish.
5. Storage Tanks
Stainless steel is also used for manufacturing containers or storage tanks. These containers can easily store food, water, or other heavy materials. This metal is also non-corrosive, which makes it a great option for storing corrosive chemicals and other harmful substances.
6. Medical And Healthcare Industry
Several medical equipment uses stainless steel alloys to provide utility to medical professionals. Chromium, Molybdenum, and Nickel elements are alloyed with stainless steel to form more durable and non-corrosive alloys of this metal. Their benefits are as follows:
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Chromium
A surgeon needs non-corrosive and scratch-resistant materials during cleansing and sterilization surgeries. Adding chromium to stainless steel increases its resistance to corrosion and scratches.
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Molybdenum
Cutting tools like scalpels and scissors require a hard and sturdy material. Molybdenum combined with this versatile metal improves the strength and hardness of the material.
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Nickel
Machine precision demands an even and polishable surface. Nickel, when combined with a steel alloy, increases smoothness.
7. Pipelines And Seawater Technology
Seawater contains a high amount of salt. This durable material is used for constructing pipelines in seawater management. These pipelines carry various hazardous chemicals and hydrocarbons to the seawater. This metal is best suited for this purpose because it is non-corrosive and is not affected by the saline waters off the shores.
8. Aircraft And Aerospace
The aircraft are subjected to extreme temperatures, elevation pressure, and precipitation. To resist these extreme conditions, the aircraft’s body must be highly resistant. Stainless can withstand all extreme situations. Thus they are preferred for manufacturing aircraft bodies.
9. Building And Construction
The introduction of stainless steel in construction has changed the construction game altogether. This material is strong and flexible, which makes construction work convenient. Furthermore, the corrosion resistance property provides structure and helps add aesthetics to the building while being easy to maintain.
10. Food Industry
Food equipment is constantly exposed to water and high and low temperature. Stainless steel is advantageous as they make sharp knives and other kitchen utensils. Moreover, they are easy to clean and maintain.
11. Defense And Domestic
Stainless steel has been in the defence sector since the second world war. Artillery gun springs, missiles, and fasteners in tanks are made with stainless steel. These arms have tensile strength and are lightweight.
What Are The Five Categories Of Stainless Steel?
Based on the different compositions and manufacturing processes, stainless steel has been categorized into five kinds. The various kinds of stainless steel are:
- Martensitic
- Duplex
- Ferritic
- Austenitic
- Precipitation
The Bottom Line
Using stainless steel is unavoidable if you are involved in any kind of the mentioned industries or something else. Almost every sector of the world has some use for stainless steel. You can not go to live without it anymore. There are even more uses that are evolving with time. Stainless steel has been used for ages to cater to humans’ needs.
You can find this versatile metal everywhere, from a fork on your dining table too heavy equipment in automobile factories. It excels in all qualities of a superior construction and manufacturing material. It is durable, strong, cost-effective, recyclable, corrosion-free, and so on. It wouldn’t be a hyperbole to say that stainless steel has become integral to a human’s daily life.
