The Role of Each Element in 304 Stainless Steel Tube

304 stainless steel tube is a common material worldwide, with a large annual demand. As we all know, stainless steel belongs to alloy, which is composed of a variety of metal elements. The chemical elements of 304 material include: chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), phosphorus (P), silicon (Si), sulfur (S), tungsten (W), vanadium (V) and other 12 kinds. But do you know the role of each element in 304 stainless steel tubes? In this article, we’ll try to answer this question in detail.

The Role of Each Element in 304 Stainless Steel Tube:

1. The role of carbon (C): It improves the deformation resistance and tensile strength of 304 steel pipes, increases hardness, and improves wear resistance. Steel pipes are commonly made of stainless steel strips that are welded after being crimped by a unit and a mold. During the process of passing through various sets of molds, pressure is applied to extrude them. If the deformation resistance is too poor, it will be difficult to form. If the wear resistance does not meet the requirements, it will not be durable enough during use, especially in high-strength and high-friction equipment.
2. The role of chromium (Cr): It improves tensile strength, toughness, and corrosion resistance. 304 stainless steel contains more than 18% chromium, which provides higher wear and corrosion resistance.
3. The role of cobalt (Co): It makes 304 stainless steel tubes resistant to high-temperature hardening, especially in the process of bending. Hardening can lead to breakage upon bending.
4. The role of copper (Cu): It improves the corrosion resistance of stainless steel 304 tubes and enhances the wear resistance of 304 stainless steel tubes.
5. The role of manganese (Mn): It improves the hardenability, wear resistance, and tensile strength of 304 steel pipe itself. It removes oxygen from molten metal through separation oxidation and separation vaporization. When added in large quantities, it enhances the hardness of 304 stainless steel pipe, but it can increase its brittleness.
6. The role of molybdenum (Mo): Its greatest characteristic is its high-temperature resistance, which allows 304 material to withstand high temperatures of 800°C without causing thermal fatigue within this temperature range.
7. The role of nickel (Ni): It can enhance strength, hardness, and corrosion resistance. The 304 material contains more than 8% nickel, which is higher than other grades, so its corrosion resistance is also stronger.
8. The role of phosphorus (P): It can improve the strength, processability, and hardness of 304 stainless steel pipes; however, if the concentration is too high, it is prone to brittle cracking.
9. The role of silicon (Si): It can enhance the ductility and tensile strength of 304 stainless steel welded pipes; it can remove oxygen from molten metal through separation of oxidation and vaporization, making the metal material fine and smooth.
10. The role of sulfur (S): Its small amount of use can improve mechanical processing performance.
11. The role of tungsten (W): It can improve strength, hardness, and toughness.
12. The role of vanadium (V): It can improve the strength, hardness, and shock resistance of stainless steel tube 304, preventing it from generating particles.

Conclusion

The above are the functions of each element in 304 stainless steel pipe. Each element plays its own role in 304 stainless steel, but the content of each element needs to be strictly controlled. It is not the more the better, and the elements also play a combined role. This ensures the mechanical and physical properties of 304 stainless steel pipe.

Thank you for reading our article and we hope it can help you have a better understanding of the role of each element in 304 stainless steel tubes. If you want to learn more about 304 stainless steel, we would advise you to visit Sino Stainless Steel for more information.

As a leading supplier of stainless steel products across the world, Sino Stainless Steel provides customers with high-quality stainless steel products such as stainless steel strips, stainless steel coils, stainless steel plates, stainless steel sheets, stainless steel bars, and stainless steel tubes at an extremely competitive price.