What Are The Characteristics And Uses Of 410 Stainless Steel And 304 Stainless Steel

What are the characteristics and uses of 410 stainless steel and 304 stainless steel

Stainless steel is an iron-chromium alloy containing 10-30% chromium, giving the metal high corrosion resistance. Although there are many grades of stainless steel, only a dozen or so are used regularly. For example, AISI type 304 stainless steel, with chromium-nickel composition and low carbon, is popular for its good corrosion resistance, cleaning and formability, making it popular in many everyday items such as kitchen sinks. AISI's Type 316 stainless steel, which contains the alloying element molybdenum, is more resistant to chemical attack than type 304, making it suitable for corrosive agents found in seawater, salt water, sulfuric acid and other industrial environments.

410 stainless steel
AISI 410 Stainless Steel, SS410 (UNS S41000)

AISI 410 stainless steel is one of the most commonly used martensitic stainless steels. It contains about 12% chromium and therefore has moderate corrosion resistance. Unlike austenites such as AISI 304 and AISI 316, class 410 martensite is magnetic and can be hardened by heat treatment like carbon steel and low-alloy steel. SS410 has good mechanical properties such as tensile strength, creep and fatigue strength, and is mainly used in steam turbines, jet engines and gas turbines.

The Type 420 is basically a high-carbon version of the SS410 offering higher strength. Ferritic stainless steel 430 contains a high chromium content and therefore has a high corrosion resistance.

304 stainless steel
AISI 304 stainless steel (UNS S30400) is the most widely used stainless steel, containing 18-20% Cr and 8-10.5% Ni, also known as 18-8 stainless steel. 304 is non-magnetic under annealing conditions, but after cold working (such as stamping, drawing, bending, rolling), part of the austenitic structure may be transformed into martensite, so the magnetic properties are weak. Type 304 has good resistance to atmospheric corrosion and oxidation. The high nickel-chromium alloy content gives it excellent corrosion resistance and is widely used in the food industry as a standard food-grade stainless steel.

There are several variants of 304 stainless steel, such as the ultra-low carbon version of 304L type, the nitrogen version of 304N type, the 304H type to improve creep performance, and the higher carbon content of 302 type. The second most widely used grade 316 stainless steel, compared with AISI 304, has a reduced chromium content, an increased nickel content, and the addition of 2-3% molybdenum. The addition of molybdenum can improve the resistance of the alloy to pitting corrosion and crack corrosion caused by chloride ions. Therefore, 316 stainless steel is widely used in Marine applications.