Abstract
If the market for stainless steel is to be increased substantially in the near future, the material must be made more competitive with others. With this in view alternative production methods for stainless-steel strip, initially in the size range 0·080–0·010 in., have been examined.
The production of Type-304L strip direct from water-atomized powder without the addition of bonding agents is described. The production cycle for powder-rolled strip consists of roll compaction using a saturated feed, sintering in line with the compaction mill, conventional cold reduction, and a final annealing treatment. Each stage is discussed, together with the final properties achieved.
The main advantages of this production route lie in the elimination of ingot casting and hot rolling and their attendant cleaning and rectification processes. The ability to produce a range of green-strip thicknesses enables the amount of deformation to be reduced to that necessary to obtain the desired surface finish and mechanical properties. Experimental results are encouraging but considerable work remains to be done.
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