High And Low Temperatures. When To Use Stainless Steel?

Austenitic, ferritic and martensitic stainless steels. What is the most suitable stainless steel to high or low temperatures?

High and low temperature. Which types of stainless steel is the best?

The type of stainless steel is primarily chosen depending on its end-use. The various types of steel differ for many elements. An example? For high temperature use, and vice versa, for low temperature use.

Martensitic stainless steels

Chromium is the almost only characterizing element contained in martensitic types. From the lowest level that ensure the stainlessness of the material (10%) up to a maximum of 18%. As a result they are the less expensive type of stainless steels. But they resistant to corrosion is less than the other types of steel.

They are not suitable to use at low ambient temperature, as for most of them the transition temperature is above to 0 °C. Thus already at this temperature they becomes frail and below zero them lose all but their toughness and ductility.

For applications to high ambient temperatures, these types of stainless steel have a break loads and tensile stress highest than ferritic and austenitic types. Up to a temperature about 500 °C.

Ferritic stainless steels

On average the ferritic stainless steel have an alloying elements content highest than to martensitic. Therefore, their price is greater than the corrosion and heat-oxidation resistance is better.

As for the low temperature, the performance of ferritic types is similar to martensitic types. Therefore,these are not recommended to use below 0 °C.

For temperature higher than ambient temperature, this type of stainless steel cannot be used between 400 °C – 550 °C. Because of its fragility to 475 °C. Generally, the ferritic types more than 550 °C (particularly some of them) are preferable to the martensitic types for a better performance; both for the creep-cold flow that heat-oxidation.

Autenitic stainless steels

The austenitic stainless steel have two characteristic elements than one. These elements are Chromium and Nickel. (e.i. AISI 304 and AISI 316)

The austenitic stainless steel are unequalled for use at low temperatures, even close to absolute zero. Exposure to low temperatures does not change the mechanical characteristics at the ambient temperature.

Also for rapid tensile test, almost all the austenitic types to 600 °C and beyond, have a mechanical strength greater than ferritic and martensitic types.

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