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Material Notes
Type 304 stainless steel
is a T 300 Series Stainless Steel
austenitic. It has a
minimum of 18% chromium and 8% nickel, combined with a maximum
of 0.08% carbon. It is defined as a
Chromium-Nickel austenitic alloy.
Grade 304 is the standard "18/8" stainless that you will
probably see in your pans and cookery tools. |
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These are some of its characteristics:
- Forming and welding properties
- Corrosion/ oxidation resistance thanks to the chromium content
- Deep drawing quality
- Excellent toughness, even down to cryonegic temperatures which
are defined as very low temperatures
- Low temperature properties responding well to hardening by
cold working
- Ease of cleaning, ease of fabrication, beauty of appearance |
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Grade 304L is the low
carbon
version of 304. It does not require post-weld annealing and so
is extensively used in heavy gauge components (over about 6mm).
Grade 304H with its higher carbon content finds
application at elevated temperatures.
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Applications
It is used for a wide variety of home and commercial applications,
this is one of the most familiar and most frequently
used alloys in the stainless steel family. Typical
applications include tanks and
containers for a large variety of liquids and solids:
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- Food industry Food processing
equipment, particularly in beer brewing, milk processing & wine
making.
For example it is highly suitable and applied in dairy
equipment such as milking machines, containers, homogenizers,
sterilizers, and storage and hauling tanks, including piping,
valves, milk trucks and railroad cars.
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Very common in the brewing industry where it is
used in pipelines, yeast pans, fermentation vats, storage and
railway cars, etc.
The citrus and fruit juice industry also uses Type 304 for
all their handling, crushing, preparation, storage and hauling
equipment. |
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- Domestic tools industry Because of its
ability to withstand the corrosive action of various acids found
in fruits, meats, milk, and vegetables, Type 304 is used for
sinks, tabletops, coffee urns, stoves, refrigerators, milk and
cream dispensers, and steam tables. It is also used in numerous
other utensils such as cooking appliances, pots, pans, and
flatware. |
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- Architectural panelling, railings & trim
- Chemical containers, including for transport
- Heat Exchangers
- Woven or welded screens for mining, quarrying & water
filtration- Dyeing industry
- In the marine environment, because of it slightly higher
strength and wear resistance than type 316 it is also used for
nuts, bolts, screws, and other fasteners. |
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