SubscribeThe story of stainless steel
Bolted stainless steel storage tanks allow users to easily increase capacity, without changing the whole storage system or tank design. Bolted tanks are easily expanded, taken down, or repaired. All without damaging the final tank. Stainless steel is corrosion resistant, attractive, safe, and requires virtually no maintenance. Stainless steel does not require a surface coating that can deteriorate to possibly pollute the environment.
“Full Life Cycle of Stainless Steel –
The Right Material for our
Environment”
Published by the SSINA
Through history there are different documents indicating the invention of stainless steel, however it is generally accepted that it was discovered in Europe somewhere in the early 20th century. Yet, there is no definite knowledge of who produced the first heat.
Most sources depict Harry Brearly (*1871), son of an English steel melter as the inventor of stainless steel. On the search for steel with better resistance to erosion, Brearly experimented with steels containing chromium and invented steel with better resistance to corrosion. The first true stainless steel was melted on the 13th August 1913. It contained 0.24% carbon and 12.8% chromium. (www.stainless-steel-world.net)
picture by American Structures, Inc www.ameristruc.com
To examine the grain structure Brearly etched the newfound steel with different types of acids. Hence, discovered its high corrosion resistance. One of the first applications of “stainless steel” was in the cutlery industry, using “corrosion resistant steel” for knives, surgical scalpels, and tools. Nevertheless also other ironworkers like Eduard Maurer and Benno Strauss from Krupp Iron Works in Germany, and U.S. Americans Christian Dantsizen and Frederick Becket were on the verge of developing stainless steel.
Till this day many applications, such as architectural trim (i.e. The Chrysler Building’s top arches), railway carriages, kitchen sinks, razor blades, and even the Saturn V Rocket, which brought the first men to the moon, followed.
www.pbs.org/.../ chrysler2_skyscraper.html
In the tank industry, stainless steel was first used in 1928 in the brewery business as a fermenting tank. Later in 1929 tankers were used to transport milk.
Today bolted stainless steel tanks are usually made of 304, 304L, 316, or 316L stainless and in some applications 317 or duplex stainless is used.
To further explain the environmental friendliness of bolted stainless steel tanks, one has to explore the life cycle of stainless steel.
First lets take a look at chemical composition of stainless steel.Stainless steel is a family of iron based alloys that must contain at least 10.5% CHROMIUM (Cr). The presence of chromium creates an invisible surface film that resists oxidation and makes the material "passive" or corrosion resistant (i.e. "stainless"). (www.ssina.com)
Chemical Composition % | |||||||||
(Max unless noted) | |||||||||
Stainless | C | Mn | P | S | Si | Cr | Ni | Mo | N |
410 | 0.15 | 1.00 | 0.040 | 0.030 | 0.500 | 11.50-13.00 |
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|
|
430 | 0.12 | 1.00 | 0.040 | 0.030 | 1.000 | 16.00-18.00 | 0.75 |
|
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304 | 0.08 | 2.00 | 0.045 | 0.030 | 1.000 | 18.00-20.00 | 8.00-10.50 |
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316 | 0.08 | 2.00 | 0.045 | 0.030 | 1.000 | 16.00-18.00 | 10.00-14.00 | 2.00-3.00 |
|
2205 | 0.02 | 2.00 | 0.045 | 0.030 | 1.000 | 22.00-23.00 | 5.50-6.00 | 3.00-3.50 | 0.17 |
The grade system categorizes stainless steel into 304 (most used), 310 (for high temperature), 316 (for better corrosion resistance), 317 (for best corrosion resistance).
Stainless steel is a 100% recyclable and has a very long usage life(100+ years) compared to mild steel. Therefore over the life cycle of a tank stainless steel storage tanks will be cheaper, due to little or no maintenance and repair cost. Even old pieces of stainless steel are recharged into the electric furnaces for re-melting back into stainless steel.
The stainless steel that is processed in the electric furnace is of the same quality as the original and is not “downgraded” as is the case with some other so-called recycled materials.
(“Full Life Cycle of Stainless Steel – The Right Material for our Environment” Published by the SSINA)
This fact makes it no surprise that bolted stainless steel storage tanks have a higher residual value then factory coated, field coated or concrete tanks.
Their appearance is also superior, it takes on an earthy tone or blends into the sky; therefore, stainless steel tanks are less intrusive then coated and painted tanks.
Easy shipment on pallets, with hardware boxed separately, is another advantage.
Furthermore, bolted stainless steel tanks can also be incorporated into composite water towers, reservoirs, pretreatment tanks, and standpipes.
All in all if stainless steel is used in a variety of applications, but especially in storage tanks, users will have the following benefits.
picture by American Structures, Inc www.ameristruc.com
Features | Benefits |
Corrosion resistance | Lower to now maintenance and repair costs, ability to store almost all types of materials |
Fire and heat resistance | Ability to store liquids in process |
Hygiene | Easy cleaning |
Aesthetic appearance | Modern attractive appearance, neutral in landscape |
Strength to weight ratio | Cot savings in material, durability, safety |
Ease of fabrication | Customization |
Impact resistance | Safety |
Long term value | Less expensive over lifetime value then alternative materials |
Cycle of Stainless steel | High residual value |
Source :
http://www.greyfeathertoys.com/html/whystainless.html
http://www.stainless-steel-world.net/basicfacts/history_first.asp
(www.ssina.com)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel