About the history of stainless steel production in my country

        Stainless steel is the general term for stainless steel and acid-resistant steel. According to the structural classification of steel, stainless steel can be divided into austenitic stainless steel, ferritic stainless steel, martensitic stainless steel and duplex stainless steel. Stainless steel is a very important functional structural material. In addition to its rust resistance, corrosion resistance and good processing properties, stainless steel also has many special physical properties, such as oxidation resistance, low temperature performance, non-toxicity, and The steel has super plasticity, bactericidal properties, memory function, etc.

        The invention of stainless steel is a major invention in the history of metallurgical technology and materials engineering in the 20th century. Stainless steel plays a very important role in the development of science and technology and the improvement of people's quality of life. The status of the stainless steel industry reflects, to a certain extent, the level of science and technology and industrial modernization of a country's metallurgical industry. At the beginning of the 20th century, almost at the same time (1911-1914), three major categories of industrial stainless steel were launched in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany. The United Kingdom invented 3Cr13 martensitic stainless steel, the United States invented the current 1Cr17 ferritic stainless steel, and Germany developed the current 18-8Cr-Ni austenitic stainless steel and 1Cr17Ni2 martensitic stainless steel. 3Cr13, 1Cr17, and 18-8 stainless steel are still the stainless steel types with the largest output and the most widely used among these three types of stainless steel.

        After more than 90 years of research, development, production and application, there are currently more than 100 stainless steel grades that have been included in standards around the world, and there are more than a dozen commonly used grades. Foreign stainless steel production has long adopted modern methods to realize automatic control of metallurgical processes. Smelting equipment and production technology have developed from a single electric furnace mold casting and forging blanking in the early days to now including electric furnaces, vacuum induction furnaces, and various secondary Refining equipment such as AOD, VOD, electroslag remelting, vacuum consumable furnace, etc.; electric furnaces and refining equipment outside the furnace are connected in series to form two-step steelmaking process and three-step steelmaking process; continuous casting process technology (slab continuous casting, thin plate The emergence of continuous casting, near-finished product specification continuous casting, etc.) has shortened the metallurgical production process. The characteristics of current stainless steel products: high quality, high purity, large specifications; energy-saving and efficient production, environmental protection, and continuous development of new technologies and new processes. At present, the annual output of stainless steel in the world has reached more than 20 million tons, with plates accounting for 70% and 80%, cold-rolled plates accounting for 40% and 50%, and the width of cold-rolled plates reaching 2000mm.

        my country began producing stainless steel in 1952. The earliest stainless steel grade produced was 3Cr13 martensitic stainless steel. The urgent needs of domestic chemical, petrochemical, food, light industry, aerospace, aviation, and atomic energy industries have promoted the development of my country's stainless steel industry. Over the past half century, my country has made remarkable achievements in the research, development, production and application of stainless steel: industrial production of stainless steel started from scratch, and by 2003, the annual output of stainless steel reached 1.76 million tons; various grades of stainless steel have been developed. In my country's stainless steel standard GB1220-92, there are 64 steel grades that have been accepted into the standard. There are still many professional steels and non-standard steel grades that have been used. The number and types of steel grades are not much different from those in Japan, the United States and other countries; my country A number of special steel mills have developed into key stainless steel production enterprises with certain production capabilities, laying the foundation for the development of the stainless steel industry. Since the reform and opening up, my country has continuously introduced foreign modern production equipment and advanced production technology, and the output and quality of stainless steel have been greatly improved. It can be said that all foreign stainless steel grades can be produced in my country, but in terms of stainless steel production equipment and product quality and variety , specifications and other aspects compared with foreign countries there is still a certain gap.