subject: Useful Applications For Steel [print this page] Stainless steel is one of the most durable materials that come in an elegant natural finish, being used for furniture and art decor and accessories. It is because of its many positive qualities that it is one of the most cost effective materials for use in everything from construction to jewelry to being used in artificial limbs. There are many different types of steel, and thousands of different uses for it as well. If you take a look just about anywhere, indoors are out, chances are pretty good that you are going to see all kinds of things that are made of it.
The material is also a relatively new one, being discovered in 1913 by a man named Harry Brearley. He discovered steel while he was doing an experiment dealing with the properties of chromium. He was the one that found that using the metal along with a 12% construction of chromium will make the steel resistant to corrosion and rust. Seven years later, it was found that there are two different useful types of steel martenstic stainless steel and austenitic stainless.
This material contains certain qualities that do not stain and rust when compared to other types of metals. When the alloy grade is not completely defined, the material is called corrosion resistant steel. Corrosion resistant metal of this nature is mainly used in the aviation industry. These kinds of metals will resist corrosion and rusting for years. It also has a naturally smooth surface that does not need any painting and looks beautiful in its natural state. One of the nicest and most cost effective features of the metal too is that it is 100% recyclable!
Did you know that there are many different grades of steel? It actually has about 150 different grade! However, only fifteen of them are widely used. These types make up common things like plates, coils, sheets, wires and tubing. It is because of the many different qualities of steel that it has made its way into being one of the most widely used materials for all commercial applications.
As you may well know, stainless steel is used quite a bit in cutlery, kitchen utensils, cookware and even appliances of all kinds these days. In addition, you will almost always find it in structural buildings, the automotive industry, industrial equipment and aerospace industries of all kinds. It is well suited for use as food storage tanks and other types of containers.
