The elements and functions contained in thin-walled stainless steel water pipes

Stainless steel, as a rising star in the steel industry, has an increasingly wide range of applications. In the civilian sector, it is used in areas such as decoration, kitchenware, and insulated cups; in the industrial sector, it is applied in fields like petrochemicals and mechanical equipment; and in the water supply system sector, it has been widely used in engineering, hospitals, hotels, direct drinking water for home decoration, tap water, hot and cold water systems, etc. The market prospect for high-quality thin-walled stainless steel water pipe products is continuously rising. Regarding this special steel series formed through long-term struggle against corrosion phenomena, the most commonly used elements include the following. Next, let's take a look together at the related elements and functions required for stainless steel, excluding the basic element of iron that constitutes steel. 

Chromium (Cr): There is only one element that determines the anti-corrosion property of thin-walled stainless steel pipes, and that is chromium. Every type of stainless steel pipe contains a certain amount of chromium. It can enhance the hardening and wear resistance of steel, and can improve the corrosion resistance and oxidation resistance of steel. 

Nickel (Ni): Nickel is an excellent corrosion-resistant material and an important core element of thin-walled stainless steel pipes. It can enhance the strength and toughness of steel, improve the hardenability, and when the content is high, it can significantly alter some physical properties of the steel alloy. It can cause changes in the microstructure of high-chromium steel, thereby improving the corrosion resistance and process performance of stainless steel pipes and achieving certain improvements. 

Vanadium (V): It can refine the grain structure of steel, enhancing its strength, toughness and wear resistance. When it is melted into austenite at high temperatures, it can increase the hardenability of the steel; conversely, when it exists in the form of carbides, it will reduce its hardenability. 

Titanium (Ti): It can refine the grain structure of steel, thereby enhancing the strength and toughness of the steel. In stainless steel, titanium can eliminate or mitigate the intergranular corrosion phenomenon of the steel.