Allegheny technologies incorporated [ati] is one of the world`s largest and most diversified producers of specialty metals. The company endows with various types of stainless steel and ferritic stainless steels is one of them. It is a part of the 400 series of stainless alloys, have chromium as their major alloying element and are typically low in carbon content. Salient features are as follows:
Ductility and formability are less than that of the austenitic grades.
The corrosion resistance is comparable to that of the austenitic grades in certain applications.
Thermal conductivity is about half that of carbon steels.
Ferritic stainless steels are magnetic, they generally have good ductility and can be welded or fabricated without difficulty.
These grades can be processed to develop an aesthetically pleasing, bright finish and, thus, are sometimes used for automotive trim and appliance molding.
They also find use in functional applications where cost is a major factor, e.G., automotive exhaust systems, catalytic converters, radiator caps, and chimney liners.
These grades can be hardened by cold rolling, but cannot be hardened as much as the austenitic alloys.
