It is not very unlikely to be curious about the different types of steel available to us. Understanding the differences might help you to choose the right variety of steel, according to your needs. Stainless steel is obtained by adding chromium to steel. Chromium is specifically used to protect the iron from rusting. Whereas surgical steel is a form of stainless steel, which is particularly used in the biomedical industries. According to the Neeraj Kochhar Virajgroup, the main point of difference between these two is that surgical steel is used for biomedical purposes only. However stainless steel can have multiple applications in various industries.
What is Stainless Steel?
Stainless steel is
made up of iron, chromium, and very less amount of carbon and other alloying
elements. It is a metal alloy which has contains about 10 percent of chromium.
Some other elements which stainless steel is composed of are titanium, copper,
nickel, and carbon.
Chromium is essentially added to protect the iron from oxidizing, it makes stainless steel corrosion-resistant and rust-resistant. It forms an oxidized coating called a passive layer, over the surface of the steel. This passive layer is responsible for preventing rusting on the surface of the steel. However, in highly concentrated saltwater, stainless steel can be subject to rusting.
In stainless steel, two metals are combined, which makes it very hard. However, it is expensive too. This is because, to combine two metals, both of them should be in a molten state. Once combined, the alloy is allowed to get cooled down. Ultimately as the steel hardens, its surface is washed off with acid to eliminate impurities.
According to Neeraj
Kochhar Viraj Group, the most striking feature of stainless steel is
corrosion
resistance. This quality makes it very useful in the production of kitchen
items. It is highly heat resistant too. Stainless steel can be classified into
the following types based on its chemical composition.
- Duplex Stainless steel
- Martensitic Stainless steel
- Ferritic Stainless Steel
- Austenitic Stainless Steel
What is Surgical Steel?
Surgical Steel is nothing but a grade of stainless steel, which is used to produce surgical items in the healthcare industry. It is a type of stainless steel that has biomedical utilization. Among the various types of surgical steel, austenitic and martensitic are used as surgical steel. Austenitic accounts for the largest portion of steel available in the market. Martensitic steel contains about 20 % of chromium. Surgical steel usually contains about 2-3 % of molybdenum.
Points of Difference
Thus, surgical steel is a grade of stainless steel, which is highly corrosion resistant as compared to the other types. It is interesting to note that among all the types of steel, stainless steel is the most expensive, and among all the types of stainless steel, surgical steel is the costliest.
As per the
Neeraj Kochhar Viraj Profiles, surgical steel is used to produce medical tools
and surgical pieces of equipment such as retractors, needle holders, forceps
hemostats, surgical implants. It is also used in orthopedic and dental implant
devices. Stainless has numerous applications. It is widely used in the
manufacturing of kitchen sinks, cookware, cutlery. Stainless steel has its
application in the aerospace and automotive industries as well as construction.
Austenitic stainless steel and martensitic stainless steel are used as surgical
steel.
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