How the Smart Use of Stainless Steel Can Save Lives


Posted December 30, 2016 by sanyoseiki

Stainless steel is the prime matter that is used in banisters, elevators, railings, roof claddings, green walls and facades of our buildings.

 
As we close 2016, one of the few reviews that we need to make is the behavior we have had over the use of natural resources in daily living. When we walk into the supermarkets, for instance, using non-plastic grocery bags and containers becomes second-nature to us. However, as we are creatures of habit, this practice did not happen overnight. It had taken some getting used to and was hammered to us for some time by some ordinance in the locality where we live and work.

Perhaps the challenge for many of us in the coming years is how to be more conscious of employing sustainable practices and incorporating this in our lifestyle and making a personal commitment to contribute to its cause. After all, it starts with getting ourselves involved and in trying to make an effort to understand the basic principles of where the items that we are using came from and how they would affect the environment after its use.

This circular economy is all about closing resource loops and mimicking natural ecosystems in the way we organize our society and businesses.

Stainless Steel as prime material in our homes and industries

There is one material that we already use which actually contributes significantly to a sustainable lifestyle. In fact, it is quite ubiquitous and long-lasting that we already take it for granted. But if we know its far-reaching, enduring qualities, we might better appreciate how its use in various applications has enabled us to live in safer buildings, if not live longer due to its health benefits. I refer to stainless steel.

Stainless steel is the prime matter that is used in banisters, elevators, railings, roof claddings, green walls and facades of our buildings. We see it every day in our cutleries, percolators, watches, mobile phones, washing machines and in our kitchens, from the pots and pans to the institutional stoves, sinks, cabinets and tables. Name it, and I could almost bet that a good percentage of the material in our appliances and even personal effects such as your hair dryer have stainless steel.

And yet, the mark of its greatness lies in its ability to hide and disappear and still be able to do its work well. A paradox in stainless steel is that it is precisely after we experienced the discomfort and ugliness of rust that we start to miss what stainless steel can do. This is a true testament of the great monuments, bridges and arches that we see today even after many centuries. Engineers and architects have told us that constructions such as these lasted because they were built with stainless steel.

Discovered by accident

Interestingly, stainless steel has this uncanny ability of showing its strength in the most ordinary, often mundane, situations such as how it was first discovered in 1913 by the British metallurgist Harry Brearley.

As I gathered from Readers' Digest's How Is It Done? Brearley was experimenting with steel alloys – combinations of metals – that would be suitable for making gun barrels. A few months later he noticed that while most of his rejected specimens had rusted, one containing 14 percent chromium had not. The discovery led to the development of stainless steel.

Ordinary steel rusts because it reacts easily with oxygen in the air to produce crumbly red iron oxides. Other metals, such as aluminum, nickel and chromium, also react in much the same way, but their oxides form an impermeable surface layer, stopping oxygen reacting with the metal underneath. With Brearley's steel, the chromium formed such a film, protecting the metal from further attack.

A variety of stainless steels are now made. One of the commonest alloys contains 18 percent chromium and 8 percent nickel --- known as 18.8 – which is used for kitchen sinks. Kitchen knives are made of a steel containing about 13 percent chromium. A more corrosion-resistant alloy is achieved by adding a small amount of the metal molybdenum. These steels are used as claddings for buildings.

Sustainability in Water Systems

At Sanyo Seiki Stainless Steel Corporation, we are conscious of the role we play in ensuring that the next generation will have sufficient access to clean, potable water. It starts with the safe disposal of waste and sewage and the proper treatment of our water.

Stainless steel has been the reliable material used in a wide range of equipment for potable and waste water treatment and storage. The International Sustainable Steel Forum lists some proven applications of standard grades of stainless steel in water collection, storage, treatment and distribution.

Mechanical Systems
•Screening systems, sieves
•Grit chambers
•Aeration trenchers and tanks
•Inlet and outlet constructions for sedimentation tanks
•Scrapper installations
•Screening drums
•Sludge/scrapers
•Pre-treatment tanks
•Syphons and lifting devices
•Weirs and overflows
•Slide gates
•Valves and pumps
•Bolting

Sludge Treatment
•Tanks, containers for mixing, thickening, dewatering sludge and digesters for processing sludge
•Sludge circulation installations
•Filter-presses
•Stop logs, valves, stop gates

Subsoil Water Technology
•Groundwater separations casing and membranes
•Pumps
•Agitators
•Supports for pipe-systems
•Clayware pipe separators

Biological and Oxidation Systems
•Sedimentation tanks
•Inlet and outlet construction
•Aeration installations
•Ozone treatment
•Sludge separator installations
•Anaerobic waste water treatment
•Disinfection - UV systems
•Tank covers

Pipe Systems
•Sewage water transportation
•Potable water mains and distribution systems
•Sludge transportation
•Gas transportation

Hardware & Miscellaneous
•Linings for concrete tanks
•Manholes and covers
•Shaft covers
•Climbing rungs
•Ladders
•Railing and platforms
•Firedoors, safety doors, pressure doors
•Wellheads
•Ventilation stacks

Among its advantages are high strength and ductility which mean the weight of a component can be reduced in many cases, and resistance to impact damage during operations is enhanced. Moreover, stainless steel does not need to apply coating on its surface to avoid corrosion and will retain its finish over a long period of time.

The low weight, wear-resistant features, and flow-promoting properties are ideal for pipework systems. More importantly, lack of toxicity on its smooth surfaces is essential for biological treatment plant and the supply of potable water.

Engineers, architects and plant operators will be pleased to note that the whole lifecycle and therefore the life cost of a plant item are most economical in the long run when they choose stainless steel, arising from a combination of installation, reduced maintenance, and extended life benefits.

Stainless steel is a common material for the preparation and treatment of our potable water. The challenge is in choosing the right grade, properties and ASTM standards. Since we only have water in limited supply and is found to be the identified natural resource that is reaching its alarmingly scarce levels, we need to ensure that it is recycled and reused properly. One way is to make sure the equipment used in water treatment is made from stainless steel that does not allow rust to develop over time.

The emergence of the circular economy requires that we manufacture products that have a longer useful life, which of course is an advantage of stainless steel. In a manner of speaking, we owe it to the next generations to look after their future.
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Issued By Hana Fajardo
Website Sanyo Seiki Stainless Steel Corporation
Phone (02) 242- 5501
Business Address 28th Floor World Trade Exchange Building, Juan Luna St., Binondo, Manila, Philippines
Country Philippines
Categories Industry , Manufacturing
Tags stainless steel
Last Updated December 30, 2016