316N Stainless Steel: Composition, Properties and Applications

Have you ever wondered how metal materials that remain resilient in various extreme environments are created? Today, we will take you into the world of 316N stainless steel, exploring its composition, properties, and wide range of applications.

Composition of 316N Stainless Steel:

The chemical composition of 316N is as follows:

2. Carbon (C): up to 0.08%
3. Silicon (Si): up to 1.00%
4. Manganese (Mn): up to 2.00%
5. Phosphorus (P): up to 0.045%
6. Sulfur (S): up to 0.030%
7. Chromium (Cr): 16.00% – 18.00%
8. Nickel (Ni): 10.00% – 14.00%
9. Molybdenum (Mo): 2.00% – 3.00%
10. Nitrogen (N): up to 0.10%

In addition, this kind of stainless steel may also contain other elements such as copper, titanium, and niobium to further improve the performance of the steel.

Properties of 316N Stainless Steel:

The mechanical properties of 316N stainless steel are as follows:

Tensile strength: ≥515 MPa.

Yield strength: ≥205 MPa.

Elongation: ≥40%.

Impact toughness: ≥50 J.

Hardness: ≤187HB; ≤90HRB; ≤200HV.

It should be noted that the mechanical properties of 316N stainless steel may be influenced by many factors, such as temperature, processing methods, and manufacturing processes. Therefore, in specific applications, it is necessary to make choices and designs based on the actual situation.

What are the physical properties of 316N stainless steel?

The physical properties of 316N are as follows:

Density: 7.98 g/cm³.

Coefficient of thermal expansion: 16.5 x 10^-6 /K (within the temperature range of 20°C to 100°C).

Thermal conductivity: 15.0 W/(m·K) at 100°C.

Specific heat capacity: 500 J/(kg·K) (at 20°C).

Resistivity: 0.74 μΩ·m (at 20°C).

Magnetic: 316N stainless steel is a non-magnetic material.

It should be noted that the above physical property data is for reference only, and specific testing and calculations are still required for practical applications.

What are the applications of 316N stainless steel?

This type of stainless steel is a high-performance stainless steel commonly used in applications that require high corrosion resistance and high-strength materials in the chemical, petroleum, pharmaceutical, and shipbuilding industries. Some of the main applications of 316N stainless steel are:

Chemical processing: It can be used to manufacture chemical storage tanks, reactors, heat exchangers, piping, and other equipment.

Petroleum and natural gas industry: It can be used in the petroleum and natural gas extraction, processing, and transportation processes, such as manufacturing offshore platform equipment, pipelines, and valves, etc.

Pharmaceutical industry: It can be used to manufacture equipment for the production of drugs, such as reactors, fermentation tanks, and conveying systems.

Food and beverage processing: It can be used to manufacture food processing equipment, alcohol production equipment, and beer buckets, etc.

Shipbuilding industry: 316N stainless steel can also be used to manufacture hulls, decks, and ship components, etc.

More about 316N Stainless Steel

It is a magnetic stainless steel. Although it has a higher nickel content (10-14%) than other stainless steels, it may still exhibit magnetic properties in some cases. This is usually due to the presence of ferrite phases in its microstructure. However, to achieve non-magnetic properties, low-ferrite or austenitic stainless steels can be used.

The metallographic structure of 316N stainless steel is mainly Austenite and Ferrite. It is a dual-phase stainless steel, usually containing about 5-10% Ferrite. This dual-phase structure can be achieved by controlling the cooling rate and chemical composition and can provide high strength, high corrosion resistance, and good toughness. Under the microscope, you can see the metallographic structure of 316N stainless steel showing different sizes of Austenite grains and Ferrite regions.

Why Choose Sino Stainless Steel?

Thank you for reading our article and we hope it can help you to have a better understanding of the composition, properties, and applications of 316N stainless steel. If you want to find more information about 316 stainless steel, we’d advise you to visit Sino Stainless Steel for more information.

As a leading supplier of stainless steel products across the whole world, Sino Stainless Steel offers customers high-quality stainless steel products such as stainless steel coils, stainless steel strips, stainless steel sheets, stainless steel bars, and stainless steel wires at a very competitive price.