Stainless steels

- wrought and cast

Don Bagnoli
The wrought stainless steel family

• Classes
• Composition
• Mechanical properties
• Selection criteria
• Fabrication
 Stainless steels

• Austenitic
• Ferritic
• Martensitic
• Duplex
• Precipitation hardening
 Classes of stainless steels

Ferritic Cr the major alloying element

Not hardenable by heat treatment
Martensitic Cr the major alloying element
Hardenable by heat treatment
Austenitic Cr + Ni the major alloying elements
Some grades have other minor additions
Not hardenable by heat treatment
Super-austenitic Cr + Ni + Mo the major alloying elements
Other minor additions
Not hardenable by heat treatment
Precipitation Cr + Ni the major alloying elements
hardening Hardenable by heat treatment (Cu, Nb)
Duplex Separate topic
Super-duplex
 Basic refinery materials

Heat
Vessels Pumps Valves Pipe
exchangers
Carbon steel X X X X X
Stainless steel X X X X X
Brass + bronze X X X
Cast iron X
Titanium X X X
Aluminium X X X
Nickel alloys X X X X X
 Ferritic stainless steels

AISI UNS
C max Cr Ni max Others
type number
Al:
405 S40500 0.08 11.5 – 14.5 0.60
0.1 – 0.3
Ti:
409 S40900 0.08 10.5 – 11.8 0.50
6xC min

410S S41008 0.08 11.5 – 13.5 0.60

430 S43000 0.12 16.0 – 18.0 0.75

 Martensitic stainless steels

AISI UNS
C Cr Ni
type number
403 S40300 0.15 max 11.5 - 13
410 S41000 0.15 max 11.5 - 13.5
416 S41600 0.15 max 12 - 14
420 S42000 0.15 max 12 - 14
431 S43100 0.20 max 15 - 17 1.2 - 2.5
440A S44002 0.60 - 0.75 16 - 18
440B S44003 0.75 - 0.95 16 - 18
440C S44004 0.95 - 1.20 16 - 18
 Austenitic stainless steels

Advantages
• Excellent resistance to corrosion in aqueous solutions
• Excellent resistance to corrosion by high temperature gases
• Easily welded without preheat or postweld heat treatment
• Readily available in all product forms
• Excellent mechanical properties down to cryogenic temperatures

Disadvantages
• Susceptible to stress corrosion cracking (Cl- SCC, PSCC)
• High coefficient of thermal expansion
• Relatively low yield strength at ambient temperatures
 Austenitic stainless steels
Nominal composition %
AISI UNS
C max Cr Ni Others
type number
301 S30100 0.15 16 - 18 6-8
302 S30200 0.15 17 - 19 8 - 10
304 S30400 0.08 18 - 20 8 - 12
304L S30403 0.03 18 - 20 8 - 12
309 S30980 0.20 22 - 24 12 - 15
310 S31000 0.25 24 - 26 19 - 22
316 S31600 0.08 16 - 18 10 - 14 2Mo
316L S31603 0.03 16 - 18 10 - 14 2Mo
321 S32100 0.08 17 - 19 9 - 12 Ti
347 S34700 0.08 17 - 19 9 - 13 Nb
 Nominal compositions of some
super-austenitic stainless steels

Wt %
Common UNS
name* number Cr Ni C Mo Cu N
max

254 SMO S31254 19.25-20.5 17.5-18.5 0.02 6.0-6.5 0.5-1.0 0.18-0.22

654 SMO S32654 24.0-26.0 21.0-23.0 0.02 7.0-8.0 0.3-0.6 0.45-0.55

1925hMo N08926 19.0-21.0 24.0-26.0 0.02 6.0-7.0 0.5-1.5 0.15-0.25
25-6Mo
AL-6XN N08367 20.0-22.0 23.5-25.5 0.03 6.0-7.0 0.75 max 0.18-0.25

4565S S34565 23.0-25.0 16.0-18.0 0.03 4.0-5.0 - 0.40-0.60

20Mo-6 N08026 22.0-26.0 33.0-37.2 0.03 5.0-6.7 2.0-4.0 -

* All of these are proprietary alloys

 Nominal compositions of some
precipitation hardening stainless steels

Wt %
Common UNS
designation number C Hardening
Cr Ni
max additions

15-5 PH S15500 14.5 - 15.5 3.5 - 5.5 0.07

17-4 PH S17400 15.5 -17.5 3.0 - 5.0 0.07 Cu, Nb

17-7 PH S17700 16.0 - 18.0 6.5 - 7.75 0.09 Al

 Compositions of some common
corrosion resistant cast stainless steels

ACI Wrought Wt %
designation equivalent Cr Ni C max Other
CA-6NM - 11.5-14.0 3.5-4.5 0.06 0.4-1.0 Mo
CA-15 410 11.5-14.0 1.0 max 0.15
CC-50 446 26.0-30.0 4.0 max 0.50
CF-3 304L 17.0-21.0 8.0-12.0 0.03
CF-3M 316L 17.0-21.0 8.0-12.0 0.03 2.0-3.0 Mo
CF-8 304 18.0-21.0 8.0-11.0 0.08
CF-8C 347 18.0-21.0 8.0-11.0 0.08 Nb
CF-8M 316 18.0-21.0 9.0-12.0 0.08 2.0-3.0 Mo
CG-8M 317 18.0-21.0 9.0-13.0 0.08 3.0-4.0 Mo
Foundry can produce austenitic stainless steel castings
with the desired amount of ferrite
by selecting an appropriate balance of
‘ferrite formers’ and ‘austenite formers’

• Ferrite formers (“Cr Equivalent”):

Cr, Mo, Si, Nb

• Austenite formers (“Ni Equivalent”):

Ni, C, N, Mn, Cu
Heat resisting alloys for service at 800-1200oC (1475-2200oF)
Stress (psi) to produce rupture
Alloy in 100,000 hr
designations
1400oF 1600oF 1800oF 2000oF
ACI, others Cr/Ni Others
HK-40 25/20 4500 2250 875 -
IN-519 24/24 Nb 6550 3050 1160 -
HP-Mod 25/35 Nb 6550 3650 1450 360
HP-Mod 25/35 W, Nb - 3500 1320 350
G4868 30/30 Si 5250 2500 975 320
NA 22 H 28/48 W - 3200 1450 440
Supertherm 28/35 W, Co - 3650 1600 610
H110 30/33 W - 2700 1300 570
Transfer lines & manifolds
800H cast 20/32 Nb 5100 2200 680 -
800H forged 20/32 4200 1600 490 -
AISI, others Cr/Ni Others
310 25/20 - - - -
800 20/32 4000 1600 620 -
800H 20/32 5200 2100 765 -
802 20/32 8300 3200 950 -
 Types of castings
Static castings
• Manifolds
• Sand molds
• Fittings • Permanent molds
• Hangers • Vacuum molded
• Tubesheets
(furnace tube supports)

Centrifugal castings
• Vertical • Conventional
(fittings, complex shapes) 4 - 6 inch x up to 20 ft
• Horizontal • Smallest
(tubes) 1.5 inch finished ID x 10 ft length
fabricated into 40 – 50 ft assemblies
 Basis for alloy selection for tubes

Reformers
• High process pressures: 300 – 400 psig
• Intermediate temperatures: 1800 – 1850oF
¾Stress rupture
¾Oxidation resistance

Ethylene Cracking
• Low process pressures: 50 psig max
• High temperatures: 1860 – 2100oF
¾Carburization / oxidation resistance
¾Creep
¾Stress rupture
¾Thermal fatigue resistance
Centrifugal
casting
Produces clean,
high quality pipe
Light impurities
such as oxides
segregate to the
ID and are
removed by
boring the inside
of the pipe
Machining the bore of centrifugally cast pipe
Support
points
Bending
stresses

It is important for the customer to advise the

foundry of the ‘critical areas’ in the casting
Abrupt change in section - difficult to feed with molten metal

Design modified by the foundry - much easier to feed

Castings produced using the modified design
Cast steel
gate valve
used in HF
alkylation
service in a
refinery

Leakage of
HF occurred
because of
shrinkage
porosity in
the body Typical valve failure locations
Arrows indicate the locations of leaks
on the external surfaces and the
location of an internal defect detected
by radiography
 Iron fluoride
formed in
casting porosity

HF forms iron fluoride

which will open up
voids and casting
defects, providing a
leakage path

Refining companies
now normally have
special radiographic
requirements for this
type of service