Pipes are essential in our daily lives. From water collection to the creation of mega industries. The most popular and reliable types of pipes are those made from stainless steel. Here is all you need to know about stainless steel pipes.

Steel pipes are made from a mixture of steel and a small percentage of chromium. The addition of chromium to steel adds up to its stainless nature by preventing corrosion. Steel is an oxidation resistant and does not react with other metals. Steel is used in large scale applications, especially in the manufacturing of piping and tubing material. The end usage of the pipes divides the stainless steel tube into several categories.

Tubes and pipes are usually difficult to classify and tend to be distinguished according to their functions. Similarly, stainless steel tube can be distinguished by its grade and type of application it is used for. For piping and tubing purposes, the 304 type of steel is usually preferred since it is corrosion and chemical resistant. However, for applications with a temperature range below 800 degrees, the type 304 steel is usually not preferred since it is usually prone to carbide precipitation. This is caused by the lower carbon content in type 304 steel which makes it more suitable for welding and other high-temperature yielding applications. Nickel and molybdenum are some additives that are possessed by other types of stainless steel. The additives help in strengthening the steel to suit desired applications.

Here are some details on the availability of different types of stainless steel tubing for your unique industry and purpose:

Steel for Corrosion Resistance

This type of application usually requires steel made with high chromium content. It offers more resistance to the steel tubes in their area of usage. Also, you need to know about the different types of corrosion resistance offered by various steel grades. This may include stress corrosion cracking, galvanic corrosion, pitting corrosion among others. This way you can choose the ideal tube that can tackle the type of corrosion you face in your industry. Generally austenitic and duplex steel grades can handle and evade corrosion quite effectively.

Steel for Pressure Pipes

This is made from either a nickel-chromium combination cross-section or solid chromium. They include welded pipes, seamless pipes and large diameter pipes for high-temperature corrosive applications. While looking for the best pipes for this purpose ensure you know details about the pipe dimensions along with working and bursting pressure standards.

Steel for Sanitary

Food is a priority and for the applications where steel comes into contact with it, the safety of the food substance is kept first. This type of steel is easy to clean and doesn’t tarnish. However, for specific applications grade, 304 or 316L is usually preferred. You can find various sizes of this tubing as they are made for a wide range of industries including beverage and food, biotechnology and pharma. You can check with the supplier if the tubes are polished both on the exterior and interior. Also, ensure these tubes can be easily dismantled and reassembled once they are cleaned and maintained on a regular basis.

Steel for Mechanical

For hollow formed containers such as cylinders, exhaust systems stainless steel for mechanical tubing is usually used. These types of steel can be easily molded into different cross-sections to acquire the desired shapes. You can avail this tubing for a wide range of industries including automotive, aircraft, farm equipment, and even household equipment. Ensure the tubing you choose can meet your standards in terms of wall thickness, diameter specifications, high strength among others. Know more about how steel is used for the aircraft industry in the next two sections.

Steel for Aircraft

Aircraft tubing needs a more specific application of stainless steel. Steel is applied in aircraft tubing because of its corrosion and heat resistance. In this case, nickel and chromium types of steel are used. Welded parts also make use of steel products with low carbon types. More specifications are usually imposed by the Aerospace Material Specification for the manufacturing of the aircraft parts. Given the fact that stainless steel tubing for the aero industry consists of negligible carbon content, it ensures better corrosion protection even if welded. Ensure the tubes are cut and supplied according to your unique specifications.

Aircraft tubing is further divided into more types. One of these is the hydraulic systems for fuel injection into the engines. Types 304 and 304L are the most preferred for this application since they are strong and corrosion-resistant.

These are just but a few applications of stainless steel tubing. The applications often focus on the strong and corrosive nature of the steel in use. Having information on the manufacturing of the different types of steel tube grades enables one to know which type of steel to use for different applications.