2024-11-22
Stainless steel-Are All Stainless Steels Magnetic?
As an alloy, stainless steel is made up of a combination of metals with the balance being iron but the main alloying element being Chromium. Stainless steel resists tarnishing and rust because of the elements contained within: iron, chromium, silicon, carbon, nitrogen, and manganese. It must be composed of at least 10.5% chromium and at most 1.2% carbon to be recognised as stainless steel.Chromium (combined with nickel) is the component that gives stainless steel its corrosion resistance. While stainless steel is frequently called stainless, it is not really stainless, because the chromium builds up on its surface making it able to withstand abuse much longer than regular steel without chromium. Passivation is the process of applying chromium to stainless steel to keep the shiny, silver finish.