A New Lean Austenitic Alloy with Comparable Properties to Type 316 SS

A new, lean, molybdenum-containing austenitic stainless steel with lower nickel content has been developed. This alloy has properties comparable to Type 316 stainless steel, and was developed to be used in the environments where Type 316 currently is used. Its composition (Nominally 18%Cr, 4.5% Ni, 5.0% Mn, 1.0 %Mo and 0.19% N) provides this alloy with outstanding resistance to a broad range of corrosive environments.
The new lean austenitic stainless steel was tested to determine its susceptibility to corrosion in many environments. Its resistance to intergranular attack was measured using ASTM A262 Practices B, C and E. The corrosion rate of this alloy was also determined in various boiling acid solutions.. The corrosion rate for the new alloy in these solutions is compared to that for Type 316L stainless steel.
The critical pitting temperature (CPT) and critical crevice temperature (CCT) of the new lean austenitic stainless steel was determined using ASTM G48 Practices A and B and the results are compared to those for Type 316L stainless steel.

The relevance of the above corrosion data will be related to the probable performance of the new austenitic stainless steel in corrosive environments present in the chemical process industries.