Details of 304 stainless steel pipe

Introduction to 304 stainless steel pipe

304 stainless steel pipe is the most widely used stainless steel pipe. Moreover, with the maturity of the market and the development of technology, its performance has been very stable.

Moreover, when problems arise, people can solve them in time through effective methods.

Knowing the properties and uses of a 304 stainless steel pipe, people can better select and use them. This is very important for its users.

So, let’s get to know the following 304 stainless steel pipe together.

First of all, what is a 304 stainless steel pipe?

What is 304 stainless steel pipe？

The 304 stainless steel pipe is a slender hollow pipe. Meanwhile, it is the most common stainless steel alloy. Moreover, it is versatile stainless steel.

Essentially, it is an Austenitic chromium alloy. Moreover, it contains 18% Cr and 8% Ni. Therefore, people usually call it 18-8.

Moreover, it is a brand of stainless steel manufactured according to ASTM standards. In other words, a 304 stainless steel pipes are equivalent to China’s 0Cr18Ni9 stainless steel pipes. And it is the most standard alloy used in this type of material.

Next, let’s take a look at how people make the 304 stainless steel pipes。

The craftsmanship of 304 stainless steel pipe

There is three craftsmanship: cold process, anneal and pickling.

Usually, people do these within a certain range of diameter and length.

Generally, the solution treatment temperature of the 304 stainless steel pipe is 1080-1100°C.

Among them, the annealing temperature should exceed 850-970°C. And after keeping the temperature for a certain period of time, people can use cooling water or air to cool.

And then, the structure of steel is Austenitic. Moreover, sometimes there is a small amount of ferrite.

Besides, its cold forming performance is an important technical indicator to measure the success of forming.

Let’s take a look at the performance of the 304 stainless steel pipe.

Performance of 304 stainless steel pipe

In general, the alloy ratio of the 304 stainless steel pipe determines its performance.

1. First of all, it has excellent corrosion resistance even in corrosive environments.
2. Meanwhile, compared with 302 stainless steel, its welding performance is better.
3. Moreover, a 304 stainless steel pipe has good machining performance.
4. People can fill it with metal. However, its welding performance is very good whether people fill the mental in or not. In this way, people can easily solder them in many ways. Therefore, a 304 stainless steel pipe has good formability.
5. Besides, 304 stainless steel is strong and durable. Therefore, it is not only suitable for pipe materials but also has a long service life.
6. Compared with other metals, a 304 stainless steel pipe requires less maintenance. Moreover, it is easy for people to clean.
7. Unlike other types of stainless steel, it is very suitable for high temperatures. Moreover, its maximum temperature can reach 1000-1200 degrees. Therefore, it can also be heat-resistant stainless steel.
8. Meanwhile,-180℃ temperature will not damage the mechanical properties of 304 stainless steel. Therefore, people can cold work it.
9. In addition, stainless steel alloys can withstand most oxidizing acids and can withstand ordinary rust. But the pipe stillwill change color over time. Therefore, people need to cold work steel pipe to produce higher tensile strength.

Therefore, 304 stainless steel is an alloy metal with acid and alkali corrosion resistance, high-temperature resistance, and good weld-ability. Moreover, it is easy to clean and maintain.

Types of 304 stainless steel pipe

There are many types of stainless steel pipes, with different uses, different technical requirements, and different production methods. And to distinguish its characteristics, people usually classify steel pipes as follows.

Classified by the production method

People divide stainless steel pipes into seamless pipes and welded pipes according to production methods.

Moreover, seamless steel pipes have hot-rolled pipes, cold-rolled pipes, cold-drawn pipes, and extruded pipes.

As for the cold-drawn and cold-rolled, they are the secondary Processing.

Besides, people can divide the welded pipe into a straight seam welded pipe and spiral welded pipe.

Next, let’s take a look at them in detail.

Seamless stainless steel pipe

304 stainless steel pipe is smooth inside. Moreover, because there are no welds inside, it is stronger.

Besides, the seamless 304 stainless steel pipe can withstand a lot of pressure.

Usually, people need a perfectly smooth surface inside the tube to transport fluids and materials, it’s a good choice.

Welded stainless steel pipe

304 stainless steel pipe has good welding characteristics. Therefore, people can use it to make a welded stainless steel pipe.

Usually, the outer diameter of the welded pipe has seams. However, some welded stainless steel has very small seams or almost no seams are visible.

Moreover, the welded connection is stronger than the threaded connection. Therefore, the possibility of leakage is even smaller.

Besides, after welding the heavier stainless steel, people need to anneal it. This can maximize the corrosion resistance of the welded 304 stainless steel pipe.

Classified by section shape

People divide stainless steel pipes into round pipes and special-shaped pipes according to the cross-sectional shape.

Among them, a special-shaped pipe includes a rectangular pipe, rhombus pipe, elliptical pipe, hexagonal pipe, octagonal pipe, and various asymmetrical cross-section pipe.

Moreover, people widely use the special-shaped pipe to make various structural parts, tools, and mechanical parts.

Compared with round pipes, a special-shaped pipe generally has larger moments of inertia and section modulus. Moreover, it has greater resistance to bending and torsion. So this can greatly reduce the structural weight and save steel.

In addition, according to the shape of the longitudinal section, people can also divide stainless steel pipes into equal-section pipes and variable-section pipes.

Among them, the variable section pipe includes a tapered pipe, stepped pipe, and periodic section pipe.

Classification by end shapes of the pipes

People can divide stainless steel pipes into smooth pipes and threaded pipes according to the state of the pipe ends.

Moreover, the threaded pipe has an ordinary threaded pipe and a special threaded tube.

Generally, people use ordinary wire to transport water, gas, etc. As for the special threaded pipe, people always use it in petroleum, geological drilling, and other fields.

Besides, for some special pipes, in order to compensate for the influence of the thread on the strength of the pipe end, people usually thicken the pipe end before turning the wire.

Among them, there are inner thickening, outer thickening, and inner and outer thickening.

Classified by purpose

According to the purpose, people divide the 304 stainless steel into oil well pipe, line pipe, boiler pipe, mechanical structure pipe, hydraulic prop pipe, gas cylinder pipe, geological pipe, chemical pipe, and ship pipe, etc.

In addition, based on its performance, 304 stainless steel pipes are the most widely used stainless steel.

Next, let’s take a look at its usage.

Usage of 304 stainless steel pipe

Because even at high flow rates, stainless steel pipes have high corrosion resistance in pipeline applications and drinking water transportation. So, it is suitable for natural gas, oil, and steam applications.

Among them, the circular seamless 304 stainless steel pipe is suitable for fluid and gas transportation in the food processing environment.

Moreover, this seamless round pipe meets the quality assurance specifications of the American Society for Testing and Materials. Therefore, it is also suitable for industries such as beer, wine, and milk.

Because of the high-temperature resistance of 304 stainless steel, people will use it in a thermal cycle environment.

For example, the shelf in the oven.

And since there is a lot of grease in the oven and it is difficult to clean, people will want to choose materials that are easy to clean.

In this situation, a 304 stainless steel pipe is a good choice.

Moreover, its excellent heat resistance can resist continuous thermal cycle fatigue. Meanwhile, it can still maintain a long service life.

Besides，because of its good corrosion resistance, people will also use it in the ocean and high corrosive environments. Especially the saltwater, chemical, and acidic environment. Meanwhile, it is also ideal for outdoor applications.

Generally speaking, it is widely used in the manufacture of equipment with good overall performance.

For example, food equipment, general chemical equipment, and nuclear industrial equipment.

However, stainless steel also has some of its minor problems. So, how can people solve it?

Solve the problem of stainless steel

The oxidation resistance of stainless steel is the most common problem.

In the natural outdoor environment, the oxidation of stainless steel requires attention and timely treatment.

For example, some outdoor handrails are obviously oxidized and rusted. This is not only unsightly but also affects the service life of stainless steel.

In this case, people usually do rust removal and paint the stainless steel pipe.

So in order for these problems not to affect the appearance and service life of the 304 stainless steel pipe, people should clean the 304 stainless steel pipes in time.

Clean 304 stainless steel pipe

Usually, people use solvents or emulsions to clean the surface of steel pipes. And this can remove dust, oil stains, and other organic matter.

However, this method makes it impossible to remove rust spots, oxide scales, and welds on the surface of the steel pipe.

So how to do the rust removal of steel pipe?

Usually, people use tools such as wire brushes to polish the steel pipe surface. And this can remove loose or warped oxide scale, rust, and welding slag.

Among them, the ability of rust removal of hand tools can reach the Sa2 level, while the ability of rust removal of power tools can reach the Sa3 level.

However, if the oxide scale on the surface of the steel pipe is firm, the rust removal effect of these tools is not good.

At this time, people will use chemical pickling to remove the surface oxide scale, rust, old coating, etc.

Although chemical pickling can achieve a certain cleaning effect, it also easily pollutes the environment.

Meanwhile, in this process, people also need to pay attention to things below.

Precaution to cleaning the 304 stainless steel pipes

1. Before cleaning a 304 stainless steel pipe with rust remover, people need to wipe it on a small part of the pipe. So itcan confirm the cleaning effect.

And if the test is satisfactory, then clean according to the method above.

2. Moreover, after cleaning, people must use clean water to clean the liquid. Otherwise, this will cause it to rust again.

These two steps can ensure the cleaning effect.

Conclusion

Now, let’s review these important aspects of the 304 stainless steel pipes.

The 304 stainless steel pipe is a slender hollow pipe.

Essentially, it is an Austenitic chromium alloy. Moreover, it contains 18% Cr and 8% Ni. Therefore, people usually call it 18-8.

Moreover, people usually cold work, anneal and pickle it within a certain range of diameter and length.

In general, the alloy ratio of the 304 stainless steel pipes determines its performance.

And 304 stainless steel pipe is a kind of alloy metal with acid and alkali corrosion resistance, high-temperature resistance, and good weld-ability.

Moreover, it is easy to clean and maintain.

There are many types of stainless steel pipes. And there are usually several classification methods: classified by production method, classified by section shape, classified by tube end shape, and classified by purpose.

Among them, according to the production method, a 304 stainless steel pipe consists of two types: seamless pipe and welded pipe.

As for the seamless pipe, its interior is smooth. Moreover, because there are no welds inside, it is stronger.

The outer diameter of the welded pipe has seams. However, some welded stainless steel has very small seams or almost no seams are visible.

Based on its good performance and a wide variety of types, people use it extensively in the manufacture of equipment with good overall performance.

For example, food equipment, general chemical equipment, and nuclear industrial equipment.

However, even if the performance of stainless steel is very good, it may still produce rust spots and oxide layers after long-term use.

At this time, people need to clean them in time.

Otherwise, this will affect the service life, appearance, and performance of stainless steel.

That’s all for 304 stainless steel pipe today.

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