Corrosion Resistance Of 316l Stainless Steel

The Corrosion Resistance of 316l Stainless Steel

We often use stainless steel products in our lives, such as kettles, steaming pots, soup pots, etc. From the literal meaning of "stainless steel", most of our friends usually think that they really won't rust. However, the fact is: most of these "stainless steel" materials not only lose their metallic luster but also may corrode severely when in contact with ordinary salt.

So the question is: Why does stainless steel rust?

Theoretically speaking, stainless steel has the ability to resist atmospheric oxidation, that is, non-rust, and it also has the ability to resist corrosion in media containing acid, alkali, and salt, that is, corrosion resistance. However, the size of its corrosion resistance varies with the chemical composition of the steel itself, the state of mutual addition, the conditions of use, and the type of environmental media.

It relies on an extremely thin, strong, dense, and stable chromium-rich oxide film (passivation film) formed on its surface to prevent oxygen atoms from continuing to penetrate and continue to oxidize, thereby obtaining the ability to resist rust. Once this film is continuously destroyed for some reason, oxygen atoms in the air or liquid will continue to infiltrate or iron atoms in the metal will continue to separate out, forming loose iron oxide, and the metal surface will continue to be rusted.

I don’t know where I copied the above two paragraphs. I guess everyone is as stunned as I am.

In short, stainless steel is different according to different materials, and the corrosion resistance and rust resistance will also vary with the different materials. The corrosion resistance of 316 stainless steel is much stronger than ordinary stainless steel to a certain extent.