At this stage, the application of stainless steel is mainly concentrated in the fields of trains, subway cars, high-speed railways, etc.
The biggest advantages of stainless steel are hygiene and environmental protection (stainless steel is 100% recycled products), and long service life (generally up to 80 to 100 years). Stainless steel water pipes are the best direct drinking water delivery pipes. The one-time investment cost of stainless steel water pipes is about three times that of ordinary galvanized pipes and is about 50% higher than that of composite water pipes such as PVC. But if the cost of the entire life cycle of the building is included, the cost advantage of stainless steel is very obvious.
At present, the design life of Chinese buildings is generally 70 years, while the life of ordinary galvanized pipes is only 10 to 20 years, and the cost of replacing pipelines is much higher than the original investment. In comprehensive consideration, the lifetime cost of stainless steel water pipes is about 1/4 lower than that of galvanized pipes.
At present, stainless steel water pipes have been used in the renovation of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and Zhongnanhai. The construction of the Pearl River Development Zone and University Town in Guangzhou, as well as some development zones in Fuzhou, Xi’an, and Changsha, will also be widely used in Olympic facilities. Another application area is construction, especially public facilities such as bridges. Due to the excellent corrosion resistance of stainless steel bars, the maintenance cost during the entire life of the bridge is very low.
Overseas media reported that the application of stainless steel in mainland China is mainly concentrated in the automotive industry, while the European and American regions have further expanded its application in cars, buses, trains, subway cars, high-speed railway cars, etc., showing that the vehicle industry has a huge development space, water industry, construction industry, etc. The five major potential markets for stainless steel, including the home appliance industry, environmental protection industry, and industrial facilities, have become the focus of future expansion.
The car body structure is made of high-strength stainless steel, which can reduce the weight of the vehicle by 25% and enhance the structural strength of the car body. The car body made of stainless steel spot welding can absorb the collision energy. After being impacted, the car body is not easily deformed, and the use of stainless steel as the vehicle panel and decorative parts can greatly reduce the maintenance cost.
In addition, stainless steel is widely used in automobile exhaust systems because of its resistance to chloride ion corrosion and heat resistance. At present, Japan, the United States, Sweden, and other countries have used a large number of stainless steel vehicles. At this stage, stainless steel train vehicles have reached 60%. In addition, the car industry is also the focus of the development of stainless steel applications.
1. Water industry:
Stainless steel is the best material for water preparation, storage, transportation, purification, regeneration, desalination, and other water industries. Its advantages are corrosion resistance, earthquake resistance, water-saving, sanitation (no rust and copper green), light weight (reducing 1/ 3), less maintenance, long life (can be used for 40 years), low life cycle cost (LCC), etc., and it is a green and environmentally friendly material that can be recycled and reused.
At present, 76% of the pipes in Tokyo, Japan have been made of stainless steel, and the leakage rate of pipes has been reduced from 14.7% to 7.5%. The recent development of corrugated pipe joints has reduced the construction cost of stainless steel water pipelines by 20% and the total cost by 3%. , The maintenance cost is reduced by 3/4.
2. Jianye:
In terms of building decoration, stainless steel is currently mainly used for exterior walls, interior and exterior columns of high-rise buildings, handrails, floors, elevator siding, doors and windows, curtain walls, and other interior and exterior decoration and components. The surface-treated, colored, and plated stainless steel plate solves the problem of easy fingerprints after touching, and further expands the scope of application of stainless steel.
Japan has developed a variety of stainless steel roofing materials, such as high and medium chromium ferrite with better corrosion resistance and various coated plates, Sweden developed super-clean brushed surface stainless steel plates, and Ugine developed UGITOP surface plates in France. The industry offers more choices. Japan’s stainless steel structures have been standardized by legislation.
In 2000, the country stipulated that stainless steel bars used in the UK in seawater and chloride corrosion environments should be constructed of stainless steel for structures below 60 meters. The service life of stainless steel bridges built in Spain has a lifespan of up to 100 years. It’s 80 years.
3. Home appliance industry:
In the household appliance industry, the largest consumption of stainless steel is the inner tube of the automatic washing machine, the inner tank of the water heater, the inner and outer shell of the microwave oven, and the inner lining of the refrigerator. Only Japan is close to the European level. Microwave ovens, refrigerators, air conditioners, TVs, etc. produced in the mainland are now competitive export products in the world, indicating that the household appliance industry is a potential market for stainless steel applications. According to estimates, the demand for stainless steel in the mainland household appliance industry will reach 100,000 to 150,000 tons.
4. Environmental protection industry:
Industrial waste gas, garbage, and water treatment equipment need to be made of stainless steel. In the flue gas desulfurization process, it needs to resist the corrosion of sulfur dioxide, chloride ions, and iron ions. The absorption tower, the cooler, pump, valve, flue, etc., needs to be The use of duplex stainless steel and high-grade austenitic stainless steel, waste incinerators, wastewater treatment facilities, etc., all need to be made of high-performance stainless steel materials.
5. Industrial facilities:
The proportion of stainless steel used in industrial facilities in developed countries can generally reach 15% to 20%. However, the proportion of applications in mainland China is still very small, such as chemical, petrochemical, chemical fiber, paper, food, medicine, energy (nuclear power, thermal power, fuel cell), etc. The field needs stainless steel. With the improvement of the quality of domestic stainless steel products and the development of special brand products, the application of stainless steel in mainland industrial facilities is expected to increase year by year.
Summary: Different stainless steel models have different performances. From the comparison of corrosion resistance, high-temperature resistance, oxidation resistance, weldability, and comprehensive performance, it is concluded that 304 stainless steel has the most superior performance, followed by 301, 409, and 201 stainless steel.