Analysis of 316 Stainless Steel: Performance, Processing and Application

316 stainless steel is a commonly used austenitic stainless steel, containing 16% - 18% chromium, 10% - 14% nickel, and also adding molybdenum element, which makes its performance different from conventional stainless steel. The incorporation of molybdenum has become a key variable for performance improvement.

In terms of characteristics, the corrosion resistance is fully upgraded, and it has excellent adaptability to the chloride ion environment. In seawater and chemical chlorine - containing media, the resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion is far superior to the 304 series. It has good high - temperature mechanical properties. In environments below 400℃, the strength and stability can meet most industrial needs. At the same time, it has the typical good plasticity and toughness of austenitic stainless steel, is easy to process and form, and has relatively stable low - temperature performance.

The processing process includes smelting (electric furnace or converter combined with refining, precise control of composition, especially molybdenum content), hot rolling (high - temperature rolling to optimize the structure and lay the foundation for subsequent processing), cold rolling (improving surface finish and dimensional accuracy), solution treatment (heating at 1010 - 1150℃ followed by rapid cooling to ensure uniform distribution of alloy elements and strengthen corrosion resistance and mechanical properties). Subsequent welding can adopt common stainless steel welding processes. For cutting processing, due to the toughness of the material, it is necessary to reasonably select tools and parameters, and the surface can be polished, passivated, etc.

The application scope is concentrated in fields with strict corrosion resistance requirements, such as marine engineering (ship parts, offshore platform structural parts, resisting long - term seawater erosion), chemical industry (corrosion - resistant pipelines, reaction kettles, coping with complex chemical media), food industry (high - salt food processing equipment, due to resistance to chloride ion corrosion), medical industry (surgical instruments, medical equipment parts, meeting hygiene and corrosion resistance requirements). With its unique corrosion resistance advantages, it has become a reliable material in harsh environments.