Originally Posted by
Mike Mills
I was looking at some 3XX series stainless steel. Yield strengths were in the 30 to 50 ksi range. be careful, though, as the brazing operation could anneal the material reducing its yield strength.
For example, 416 stainless goes from 140 ksi down to 60 ksi at just 1400 F and silver doesn't melt until 1760 F. Tensile strength is similarly lost with high heat. A post-brazing tempering process could allow you to recover the yield strength lost, but you have to be sure to do that and do it in a controlled fashion. I see similar behavior for all the various classes of stainless steel.
3xx series stainless steels are about the most corrosion resistant but are relaticely soft and are not heat treatable that I know of. 316 stainless is what is referred to as surgical stainless steel and is also used in good body piercing jewelry. It is supposed to be the most corrosion resistant alloy normally available.
The high carbon stainless steels such as 440C are hardenable and are used in cutlery but are not nearly as corrosion resistant as the 3 series stainless steels per my reading. All stainless steels are better referred to as corrosion resistant rather than corrosion proof IMO.
Hard to talk about strength or corrosion resistance of a stainless alloy without specifying which one as each alloy will have its own characteristics.
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