Iron has been in use for many years which is the reason why it’s one of the most popular metals. However, stainless steel is an upcoming material that made headlines a few years ago. Stainless steel came with the introduction of mining and alloying technology. What this means is that stainless steel came into existence about 100 years ago.
I know it’s hard to believe but this is a testimony that stainless steel is a good metal for its corrosion resistance, strength and good looks. As a matter of fact, the metal has recolonized the metal world because it has a number of applications which offers countless benefits.
Stainless steel has found many uses in the manufacturing sector, healthcare and catering equipment. This steel has out-performed a couple of other metals that were in the market including carbon steel, aluminium and copper.
Stainless steel invention
The first discovery came into existence in 1913 when Harry Brearkly of Sheffield UK introduced ‘rustles steel’’. Besides the fact that there have been a couple of attempts in the industry, his discovery was one of the most successful. This man was credited because of the use of Chromium in steel to make it corrosion resistant. He actually used 12.8% Chromium which he believed was the key ingredient in reducing corrosion.
This discovery came into existence as this man was trying to solve the problem of erosion of the internal surfaces of guns and other British Army equipment.
After his discovery, there were many other improvements that followed which saw the complete discovery of what we have in market today. These improvements came so fast and by 1919, stainless steel was reliable to many.
Milestones in stainless steel history
There were many gradual changes in the stainless steel that resized the whole industry. Here are some guidelines throughout the history.
- The manufacturing industry adopted stainless steel in the manufacturing of Tools, cutlery in Sheffield, scalpels and other tools in the 1919 and 1923.
- In the early 20s, many researchers started using chromium and nickel combinations to see whether I could improve its resistance to corrosion. By this time, stainless steel was known as 18/18 which was an indication of the percentage of chromium and nickel in the steel.
- People started storing nitric acid in stainless steel tanks. This is actually what proved that the stainless steel is reliable in such situations.
- In 1954, a group of scientists manufactured the first stainless underwater camera. About 8 years later, the first tidal power station was introduced. The power station had stainless steel turbine blades. It was introduced in France.
- The Stainless steel was also used to make the longest movable barrier on River Tames. This was considered as the largest flood barrier in the world.
- The production and use of stainless steel skyrocketed in 21st century and it reached 31 million in 2010.
- In the same year, there were about 11 million washing machines that utilized stainless steel drums. Most of them were made and used in China.
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