Stainless steel is a commonly materials that has excellent corrosion resistance and high strength. Stainless steel can be mainly classified into austenitic stainless steel and ferritic stainless steel. So what's the difference between austenitic and ferritic stainless steel.
Austenitic Stainless Steel
Austenitic stainless steel refers to stainless steel with austenitic structure under room temperature. When the steel contains about 18% Cr, 8%~25% Ni, and about 0.1% C, it has a stable austenite structure. Austenitic stainless steel is non-magnetic and has good toughness and plasticity, but its strength is lower than ferritic stainless steel and cannot be strengthened through phase transformation. It can only be strengthened through cold worked process.
Ferritic Stainless Steel
Ferritic stainless steel is a stainless steel material with a chromium content between 10.5% and 30%. It is mainly composed of ferrite structure. The main components of ferritic stainless steel are chromium and iron, usually without nickel. The characteristics of ferritic stainless steel mainly include high thermal conductivity, low expansion coefficient, good oxidation resistance, and excellent corrosion resistance.
The Difference between Austenitic and Ferritic stainless steel
The main difference between austenitic and ferritic stainless steel is that the chromium content and iron content is different. The iron content of the ferritic stainless steel is higher than that of the austenitic stainless steel. That's why ferritic stainless steel is magnetic, while austenitic stainless steel is non-magnetic.
But compared with the ferritic stainless steel, austenitic stainless steel contains a large number of chromium and nickel, which make its corrosion resistance is better.
