Stainless Steel Specifications For Military Use

Stainless steel is a material used widely in the defense and aerospace industries, it's many favorable properties contribute significantly as a material choice in manufacturing parts and components for use in military applications, such as aircraft, land vehicles, marine vessels, missiles, and a variety of equipment.

Stainless steel is a iron-based alloys, including chromium, carbon, and other elements such as nickel, manganese, molybdenum, silicon, and titanium. Stainless steel has corrosion-resistant properties due to  it is a minimum of 10.5 % chromium, and it approximately 200 times more resistant to corrosion than steels without chromium. Besides, stainless steel is also noted for its low-temperature resistance, high tensile strength and durability, easy formability and fabrication, low maintenance, and long service life. Some stainless steels also hold non-magnetic properties, an important design characteristic in certain defense and aerospace applications.

Stainless steel's application in miltary: stainless steel specifications are determined by the material’s crystal microstructure’s grade and unique metallurgical characteristics, more than 150 grades, but only a dozen or so have the desirable properties for military applications in these many available grades. Grades with the characteristics required for military applications are primarily 300 series which are non-magnetic and meet military specifications for many applications, including grades 304, the 316 series (316L, 316H, and 316Ti alloys), and 321 stainless steel all offer excellent resistance to general and pitting corrosion. Despite their similarities, these grades also have subtle differences. For example, 321 grade is a stabilized austenitic stainless steel similar to Type 304, but it contains titanium and at least five times the carbon content than 304 stainless steel, commonly founded in high-temperature tempering equipment, such as diesel and heavy-duty automotive exhaust systems, firewalls, and jet aircraft components.

Stainless steel's applications in aerospace and defense: Stainless steel’s properties make it become an ideal material for aerospace and defense industries, commonly used in to manufacture parts and components of aircraft including engine parts, landing gear, and structural components. Stainless steel is also used to produce missile components because it's its high tensile strength, durability, and high-temperature resistance. In addition, stainless steel's corrosion-resistant properties make it ideal for use in harsh marine environments, and high strength-to-weight ratio makes it an ideal material for military vehicles and aircraft armor plating. Stainless steel is versatile and can even be used to manufacture pressure containers for storing and transporting liquids and gases and to produce various tooling and fixtures for use in aerospace and defense applications.

Ronsco can supply the widest variety of high-quality stainless steel and nickel alloy products combined with unmatched services. Our stainless steel products adhere to and meet all military specifications required for defense and aerospace applications. For more information, contact us today.