A Closer Look at Stainless Steel
Posted in Medical on November 17th, 2009The invention of stainless steel in the 20th century was a culmination of hundreds of experiments over thousands of years to create a corrosion resistant steel. In the early part of the 20th century, several scientists discovered that adding chromium to steel created a more corrosion resistant metal. Different formulas for this type of steel with varying ingredient ratios were patented. By definition stainless steel is a steel alloy with at minimum of an 11% chromium content, measured by mass. Today, stainless steel is used in so many applications that we come in contact with it every day.
Because of its pleasant luster, corrosion resistance, and low cost, stainless steel is a common material used to make household appliances like refrigerators, stoves, ovens, toasters, coffee makers, and many other appliances.Stainless steel sheets are often used as construction material for large commercial projects to small household projects for a variety of surfaces and applications. One of the most famous examples of the use of stainless steel in architecture is New York City’s Chrysler building. The famous pinnacle of the building is clad with stainless steel.
Because stainless steel can be easily steam cleaned and sterilized, it is also one of the most common materials used in the making of cookware, cutlery, and surgical instruments. Many guns contain stainless steel components and some handguns are made entirely out of stainless steel. Watch manufacturers also use this amazing metal in the making of watch components like cases and bands.
The invention of stainless steel has opened up a wide variety of uses for the metal, a metal which makes possible many of the modern conveniences we use every day.