✅ Section C — Stainless Steels (Fully Updated and Verified)

1️⃣ How much metallic chromium must a stainless steel

contain in order to form a passive layer under normal
atmospheric conditions?
 Minimum 10.5 wt.% chromium content is required for
passivation.
📖 Source: Stainless Steels — Slide 3

2️⃣ How does a stainless steel behave in normal air after

mechanical damage to the passive layer?
 The passive layer self-heals immediately due to oxygen in
the air, reforming the protective chromium oxide film.
📖 Source: Stainless Steels — Slide 4

3️⃣ What characterises the passive layer? (Thickness,

structure, chemical composition) How does it differ from
the base material?
Base
Property Passive Layer
Material
Thicknes
1–5 nm —
s
Structur Chromium-rich Fe-Cr alloy
e oxide matrix
Cr/Fe ~2.5 (passive ~0.27 (bulk
ratio layer) alloy)
📖 Source: Stainless Steels — Slides 4–5
4️⃣ Explain the differences between a passive layer on
aluminium and a passive layer on stainless steel.
Property Aluminium Stainless Steel
Layer
10–15 nm (naturally) 1–5 nm
thickness
Stable even without Requires oxygen to maintain
Stability
oxygen passivity
📖 Source: Stainless Steels — Slide 6

5️⃣ Which types of corrosion can predominantly occur on

stainless steels under the following types of stress and
lead to failure:
Condition Corrosion Type
High humidity +
Pitting corrosion
chlorides
Gaps + moderate
Crevice corrosion
chlorides
Chlorides + high tensile Stress corrosion cracking
stress (SCC)
📖 Source: Stainless Steels — Slides 10–14

6️⃣ Which environmental/operating conditions have a

particularly corrosive effect?
 High air humidity.
 Chloride exposure (e.g., seawater).
 Mechanical stresses.
 Acidic pH environments.
📖 Source: Stainless Steels — Slide 10

7️⃣ In a few words:

Corrosion Form Explanation
Localized deep pits, often triggered by
Pitting corrosion
chlorides.
Intergranular Along grain boundaries, caused by
corrosion chromium depletion.
Stress corrosion Cracking under tensile stress in corrosive
cracking (SCC) environments.
Localized corrosion inside crevices due to
Crevice corrosion
oxygen depletion.
📖 Source: Stainless Steels — Slides 12–14

8️⃣ How can the achievable corrosion resistance of a

stainless steel be estimated/evaluated/ranked based on its
alloy composition?
 Using the PREN formula (Pitting Resistance
Equivalent Number):
PREN=%Cr+3.3×%Mo+16×%N\text{PREN} = \%Cr + 3.3 \times \
%Mo + 16 \times \%NPREN=%Cr+3.3×%Mo+16×%N
 PREN > 32 → seawater resistant.
📖 Source: Stainless Steels — Slide 13

9️⃣ How can stainless steels be classified? What special

property (1 each) does each group have?
Group Special Property
Austeniti
Excellent corrosion resistance
c
Ferritic Magnetic, lower corrosion resistance
Martensi
Hardenable, high strength
tic
Combination of strength + corrosion
Duplex
resistance
📖 Source: Stainless Steels — Slides 17–22

🔟 What is meant by metastable austenite and what

happens to the austenitic structure during rapid cooling or
deformation of metastable austenites?
 Metastable austenite: Austenite that can transform into
martensite under deformation or cooling.
 Under strain or rapid cooling → martensitic transformation →
increased strength, reduced ductility.
📖 Source: Stainless Steels — Slides 25–28

1️⃣1️⃣ How is it possible to qualitatively compare the

stability of two metastable austenites?
 Based on:
o Md30 temperature (temperature at which 50%
martensite forms after 30% deformation).
o Ms temperature (martensite start temperature).
 Lower Md30/Ms → more stable austenite.
📖 Source: Stainless Steels — Slides 27–28
1️⃣2️⃣ Which properties of a metastable austenitic stainless
steel change as a result of partial martensitic
transformation?
 Strength increases.
 Ductility decreases.
 Material becomes magnetizable.
📖 Source: Stainless Steels — Slide 28

1️⃣3️⃣ What information does the ZTA diagram provide for

high-alloy stainless steels?
 Shows:
o Transformation temperatures.
o Sensitization zones (carbide precipitation →
intergranular corrosion risk).
o Optimal processing windows.
📖 Source: Stainless Steels — Slide 29

1️⃣4️⃣ What must be taken into account when cooling or

maintaining a temperature (e.g. during production or
thermal joining/thermal cutting) for stainless steel?
 Avoid sensitization temperatures.
 Prevent chromium carbide precipitation at grain boundaries.
 Use stabilized grades or controlled cooling if necessary.
📖 Source: Stainless Steels — Slide 29
1️⃣5️⃣ Name three manufacturing processes for producing a
near-net-shape component from stainless steel.
 Casting.
 Powder metallurgy.
 Additive manufacturing.
📖 Source: Stainless Steels — Slide 30

1️⃣6️⃣ What influence do surface treatment processes have

on the corrosion resistance of stainless steels?
 Improve surface finish.
 Remove surface defects.
 Enhance passive layer formation → better corrosion
resistance.
📖 Source: Stainless Steels — Slide 30

1️⃣7️⃣ Why is post-processing of component surfaces

necessary, especially for aggressive media and sensitive
applications with stainless steels?
 Removes:
o Contamination.
o Heat tint.
o Surface defects.
 Ensures stable and continuous passive layer formation.
📖 Source: Stainless Steels — Slide 30
1️⃣8️⃣ What processes can be used to post-treat the
surfaces of stainless steels to improve their corrosion
resistance?
 Pickling.
 Passivation.
 Electropolishing.
📖 Source: Stainless Steels — Slide 30

1️⃣9️⃣ Explain the electropolishing process in a few words.

 Electrochemical process that smoothens surface by
controlled anodic dissolution.
 Enhances corrosion resistance and aesthetics.
📖 Source: Stainless Steels — Slide 31

2️⃣0️⃣ Why is the Cr/Fe ratio in the passive layer used as a

quality indicator for a stable passive layer?
 Higher Cr/Fe ratio → better chromium enrichment → stronger
and more protective passive layer.
📖 Source: Stainless Steels — Slide 5

2️⃣1️⃣ Explain why materials with a sufficiently high

chromium content (above 12%) and a high carbon content
(above 0.80%) are expected to have reduced corrosion
resistance compared to materials with a lower carbon
content.
 High carbon content → chromium carbide precipitation →
chromium depletion near grain boundaries → intergranular
corrosion.
📖 Source: Stainless Steels — Slide 14

2️⃣2️⃣ Explain why a conventional stainless steel kitchen

knife should not be cleaned in a dishwasher from a
corrosion perspective.
 Dishwasher creates:
o High humidity.
o Chloride exposure (from detergents).
o Temperature cycling.
o Crevice and pitting corrosion risk increases.
📖 Source: Stainless Steels — Slide 10

2️⃣3️⃣ What can be deduced from the ZTA diagram (time-

temperature-precipitation diagram) for a high-alloy
stainless steel?
 Critical holding times and temperatures where chromium
carbide precipitation occurs.
 Shows sensitization danger zone.
📖 Source: Stainless Steels — Slide 29