Stainless Steel Grade AISI 304 | EN 1.4301

AISI 304 | EN 1.4301 | DIN X5CrNi18-10 - This is a chromium-nickel austenitic steel. The presence of nickel in it in the amount of 8 - 10% leads to the fact that the austenitic phase is preserved at temperatures from low to 1050 ° C. The main advantage of this class of steel is its high service characteristics. It exhibits strength, plasticity, corrosion resistance in most working environments and has good processability. Therefore, this grade of steel has found wide application as a structural material in various fields.

This steel is non-magnetic in the annealed condition, but it can become slightly magnetized due to the addition of martensite or ferrite. This usually occurs during cold working or welding.

Technological properties

Stainless steel EN 1.4301 has good resistance to atmospheric corrosion up to 300 °C and good resistance to many (slightly corrosive) organic and inorganic chemicals. It can also be used at very low temperatures, but there are some limitations in marine, coastal areas and chloride-containing solutions.

⓵ Welding

Stainless steel EN 1.4301 can be easily welded by various conventional welding methods, but since the material is not resistant to intergranular corrosion after welding, if larger parts are to be welded and solution annealing after welding cannot be performed, stainless steel 1.4307 should be selected. The surface condition has a relatively large influence on the corrosion resistance of the steel, so that a polished surface usually has better corrosion resistance than a rough surface.

⓶ Heat treatment

Annealing of solution: 1000 - 1100 ℃ (cooling: water, air)

Hot forming: 1200 - 900 ℃ (cooling: air)

⓷ Strengthening

Stainless steel AISI 304 | EN 1.4301 cannot be hardened by heat treatment, but can be hardened by cold working.

Mechanical properties

Stainless steel grade AISI 304 has good mechanical properties. It is excellent for drawing, welding, stamping. It is well subjected to plastic deformation.

Table: mechanical properties of stainless steel grade AISI 304 | EN 1.4301
Tensile strength (tensile strength), min., MPa	515
Yield strength, 0.2%, MPa	205
Brinell hardness, HB type	170
Fatigue strength, N/mm² type	240
Relative elongation, min., %	40

Physical properties

Specific gravity (density): 7.9 g/cm³

Electrical resistance: 0.73 (Ohm mm²/m) at 20°C

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

Thermal conductivity: 15 (W/m K) at 20 °C

Table: physical properties grade AISI 304 | EN 1.4301
Modulus of elasticity (kN/mm²)	Thermal expansion (10^-6/K)
200 at 20 °C	16,0 (20-100 °С)
194 at 100 °C	16,5 (20-200 °С)
186 at 200 °C	17,0 (20-300 °С)
179 at 300 °C	17,5 (20-400 °С)
172 at 400 °C	18,0 (20-500 °С)
165 at 500 °C	-

Notes:

10^-6 · К-1 = 10^-6 / К

1 Ohm · mm² / m = 1 µOhm · m

1 g / cm³ = 1 kg / dm³ = 1 ton / m³

1 GPa = 1 kN / mm²

1 MPa = 1 N / mm²

Table: chemical composition of steel grade AISI 304 / EN 1.4301
Chemical composition: steel AISI 304 / EN 1.4301
C	Si	Mn	P	S	Cr	Ni	Fe
<0,070	<0,75	<2,00	<0,040	0,020-0,030	18,00-19,00	8,00-10,00	Other

The optimal ratio of chromium and nickel content in the 08X18N10 grade provides products made of this metal with very high resistance to aggressive environments, including acidic and acidic salt environments. And the introduction of other alloying elements improves the properties of AISI 304 steel. It is due to the compounds of chromium with oxygen that an oxide film is formed on the surface of the stainless metal, which serves as reliable protection against the effects of corrosion deposits.

Application

This grade of stainless steel is used in virtually all areas of human activity: chemical, food and pulp and paper industries. It is actively used in electric power engineering, environmental protection, transport and the automobile industry. Household: making spoons, forks, frying pans, pots and other kitchen utensils, including the internal parts of high-quality dishwashers and washing machines and high-end meat grinders. It is also very popular in construction, architecture and design.