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Stainless
steels comprise a group of iron alloys that contain some Cr, Ni, Mn, Mo,
or Al, in addition to carbon. The presence of chromium makes them highly
corrosion resistant and all stainless steels require at least 11 wt % of
this element. Their room temperature microstructure divides stainless
steels into three classes: martensitic, ferritic, and austenitic. In the
martensitic steels, martensite is the main microconstituent and the iron/
iron carbide ratio is controlled by the other alloying elements. In ferritic
stainless steels the bcc-a-iron
is the major phase, and for the austenitc steels alloying additions have
stabilized the g-iron
( fcc-austenite) down to room temperature. The table below details some
stainless steel alloys. |
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