Why is nickel important to the stainless steel industry?
Nickel was first discovered in the 1700s and was originally called "kupfernickel" because it was found in rocks that looked like copper ore. Miners once thought nickel was insignificant, believing that this element made it difficult for them to extract copper from the rock. Little did they know that nickel would soon become one of the most important industrial metals in the world.
Nickel makes stainless steel highly resistant to corrosion in the form of 300 series (e.g. 302, 303, 304) and many PH grades (e.g. 17-4) stainless steel alloys. Some 400 series stainless steels are high chromium carbon steels, and although they are included in the stainless steel category, their corrosion resistance is not complete. Alloys 416 and 440C will show slight corrosion (rust spots) when left in water for a period of time or when the water dries out.
There are two main reasons. Why is nickel important to the stainless steel industry?
1. The addition of chromium reduces the toughness of steel, and nickel makes up for the decrease in toughness.
2. Chromium can also cause ferromagnetism in steel, which is undesirable in some applications. Nickel can also help solve this problem.
In short, chromium is what makes stainless steel stainless. Nickel enhances corrosion resistance at high temperatures.
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