Stainless Steel vs Galvanized Steel
Steel is an alloy made out of iron and carbon. The carbon percentage can vary depending on the grade and mostly it is between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight. Though carbon is the main alloying material for iron some other elements like Tungsten, chromium, manganese can also be used for the purpose.
Different types and amounts of alloying element used determine the hardness, ductility and tensile strength of steel. Alloying element is responsible for maintaining the crystal lattice structure of steel by preventing dislocation of iron atoms. Thus, it acts as the hardening agent in steel. The density of steel varies between 7,750 and 8,050 kg/m3 and, this is affected by the alloying constituents too. Heat treatment is a process which changes the mechanical properties of steels. This will affect the ductility, hardness and electrical and thermal properties of steel.
There are different types of steel as carbon steel, mild steel, stainless steel, etc. Steel is mainly used for construction purposes. Buildings, stadiums, railway tracks, bridges are few places among many where steel is heavily used. Other than that, they are used in vehicles, ships, planes, machines, etc. Most of the daily used house appliances are also made by steel. Now most furniture is also being replaced by steel products. When steel is used for these applications, it is important to ensure their durability.
One drawback in using steel is its tendency to corrode. There have been various measures taken to reduce or eliminate corrosion of steel. Stainless steel and galvanized steel are two examples of steel which are capable of fighting corrosion successfully.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is different from other steel alloys because it doesn’t corrode or rust. Other than this, as mentioned above, it has other basic properties of steel.
Stainless steel is different from carbon steel due to the amount of chromium present. It contains minimum 10.5% to 11% chromium amount by mass. So it forms a chromium oxide layer which is inert. This is the reason for non corrosion ability of stainless steel. Therefore, stainless steel is used for many purposes like in buildings, monuments, automobile, machinery, etc.
Galvanized Steel
Galvanized steel is especially made to stop the corrosion. The steel is coasted with layers of zinc, to prevent corrosion. The process of coating steel with zinc is known as galvanizing. In this process steel is submerged in melted zinc and a chemical reaction between zinc and the steel surface bond zinc to the steel permanently. Not only in the surface, zinc will be in below layers of steel, as well.
So zinc will not be a surface coat like paint, rather it will react with iron and go into somewhat deeper levels too. This in terms enhances the corrosion withstanding ability of galvanized steel. Normally galvanizing is done after something like nails or bolts is made out of steel.
Galvanized steel is widely used for industrial applications and for buildings.
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What is the difference between Stainless Steel and Galvanized Steel? • Chromium is added in stainless steel, to reduce the corrosion. In contrast, galvanized steel is reacted with zinc. • Galvanized steel has the zinc layer on the surface level, but in stainless steel chromium is dispersed inside the steel. • So when there is scratch, galvanized steel tend to corrode whereas stainless steel can withstand for a longer period. • Galvanized steel is more expensive.
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