In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5%[1] chromium content by mass.
Stainless steel does not readily corrode, rust or stain with water as ordinary steel does. However, it is not fully stain-proof in low-oxygen, high-salinity, or poor air-circulation environments.[2]
There are different grades and surface finishes of stainless steel to
suit the environment the alloy must endure. Stainless steel is used
where both the properties of steel and corrosion resistance are required.
Stainless steel differs from carbon steel by the amount of chromium present. Unprotected carbon steel rusts readily when exposed to air and moisture. This iron oxide
film (the rust) is active and accelerates corrosion by forming more
iron oxide; and, because of the greater volume of the iron oxide, this
tends to flake and fall away. Stainless steels contain sufficient
chromium to form a passive
film of chromium oxide, which prevents further surface corrosion by
blocking oxygen diffusion to the steel surface and blocks corrosion from
spreading into the metal's internal structure, and, due to the similar
size of the steel and oxide ions, they bond very strongly and remain attached to the surface.[3]
Passivation occurs only if the proportion of chromium is high enough and oxygen is present.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel
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