Chromium works in stainless steel plates

Last time we talked about the importance of nickel to stainless steel plates. The reason for adding nickel is to form an austenite crystal structure, thereby improving the properties of stainless steel plates such as plasticity, weldability and toughness. But today our protagonist is not nickel, but Another element - chromium. Chromium is an important component of stainless steel. It can be said that so far, there is no stainless steel that does not contain chromium. Since chromium is an indispensable part of stainless steel plates, what role does chromium play?

Chromium is the most basic alloying element in stainless steel plates, and its content is generally above 13%. Whether it is 201 stainless steel plate or 304 stainless steel plate, they all contain this element. The reason is simple. Chromium affects the structure of stainless steel. It can form Cr3C and other metal compounds with carbon, and this metal compound has high strength and hardness. When it is dispersedly distributed on the metal matrix in a granular form, it can greatly improve the strength, corrosion resistance, wear resistance, etc. of the stainless steel plate.

The main function of chromium is to improve the corrosion resistance of stainless steel plates. In the oxidizing medium, a solid and dense layer of chromium oxide can be formed on the surface of the stainless steel plate to protect the stainless steel plate. Chromium can also cooperate with nickel to form a single-phase austenite structure and give the stainless steel plate good corrosion resistance, good toughness and strength. It can be seen that the role of chromium in stainless steel plates is particularly important.