History

Stainless Steel was discovery by Harry Brearley (1871 – 1948), who started as a steel company worker 12 years old in Sheffield (England).

In 1912, Harry began investigating a different alloy, more resistent to wear and tear inside the firearms provided from the gases heat.

Firstly the seach was for a better resistence to erosion alloy. But when Harry Brealey realized a chemical attack to test the new alloy structure, he noted the nitric acid – a comum reactive – did not respond.

Harry did not found an alloy resistent to wear and tear but found a corrosion resistent alloy. The first use was for the cutlery industry that until there was made of carbon steel which is not resistent to the acids presented in foods.

Uses

The stainless steels are usually used in four differents markets:

- Electrical appliances: small and big domestic machines
- Automobiles: car spare production as discharge pipes
- Construction: buildings
- Industry: foods, chemical products and petroleum

Its corrosion resistence, its hygienic and aesthetic properties became the stainless steel a really atractive material to many different makets. The cleaning stianless steel products are: regular soap, mild detergents and ammonia solutions in hot  water. Use with soft cloth or thick nylon brush, rinse it with water and dry with a soft cloth.

Stainless Steel types

We can describe stainless steel in mainly goups: Ferritics, Austenitic and Martensitic, There are even other mixed groups for example the 50% ferritic (Cr, Si, Mo, Ti and Nb) and 50% austenitic (Ni, C, N and Mn).
All the chemical process prove the different stainless steel properties. Check the follow stainless steel apliacations:

Austenitic
• Chemical and petrochemicals industries equipments;
• Foodstuffs and Pharmacy industries equipments;
• Civil construction;
• Domestic products.

Ferritics
• Domestic electric products;
• Cold store;
• Coins;
• Automobile industry;
• Cutleries.

Martenstic
• Surgery instruments;
• Cut knives
• Breake discs

Properties
• Very resistent to corrosion;
• Mecanic resistention;
• Easy cleaning;
• Higienical apearence;
• Inert material;
• Resistent to really high and cold temperatures;
• Many different finishes;
• Nice apearence;
• Recyclable

Fonte: Wikipédia