Stainless Steel Fabrication: What is so special with stainless steels?

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Almost all of our appliances, automobiles, industrial machines, kitchen wares have parts that are composed of stainless steels. Really what is so special about stainless steels? Let’s check it out!

Stainless Steel

Stainless is a term early used in the development of steels for cutlery applications. It was adopted as a generic name for these steels and now covers a wide range of steel types and grades for corrosion or oxidation resistant applications.

Composition

Stainless steel is an alloy of Iron with a minimum of 10.5% Chromium. Chromium produces a thin layer of oxide on the steel surface, which is known as the passive layer. This layer prevents corrosion of the surface. Having an increase in the amount of Chromium will give the steel an increased resistance to corrosion.

It also contains various amounts of Carbon, Silicon and Manganese. Nickel and Molybdenum may be added to impart other useful properties such as increased in formability and increased corrosion resistance.

Applications

The resistance to corrosion and staining, low maintenance and sparkling luster of stainless steels are what make them an ideal material for so many applications.

Stainless steels are milled into coils, plates, bars, wire, sheets and tubing to be used in cookware, cutlery, household hardware, surgical instruments, major appliances, industrial equipment and as an automotive or aerospace structural alloy and as well as a construction material in buildings. It can also be used in storage tanks and tankers transporting food products like juices and fresh fruits are often made of stainless steels, because of its corrosion resistance. This fact also influences the use of the said steel in commercial kitchens and food processing plants, as it can be steam-cleaned and sterilized and does not need paint or other surface finishes.

Stainless steel does not easily corrode, stain or rust with water as what happens to ordinary steel. However, it is not fully stain-proof in low-oxygen, high-salinity or poor air-circulation environments. There are different grades and surface finishes of stainless steel to suit the environment the alloy must endure.

Basically, stainless steel is used where both the properties of steel and corrosion resistance are required. This is the reason why stainless steels are special!

Need stainless steel fabrication in the Philippines? Visit TKL now!



For further reading: Stainless Steel Fabrication Process

Have you ever wondered how concrete blocks are made?

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Concrete blocks made the large portion of our houses today. But how they are made by your supplier of construction materials Philippines? Got any idea? Then, here’s how they came into the form.

A bit of History

The very first concrete block was designed by Harmon S. Palmer in the US in 1890. It took him to experiment for ten years before patented the design in 1900. The dimensions of his block were 8 inches by 10 inches by 30 inches and they are so heavy that you need a small crane to lift them up.

By 1905, there are about 1,500 companies manufacturing concrete blocks in the US. These blocks are casted by hand, and the average output was about ten blocks per person per hour.

Materials used

The primary raw material that is commonly used to make concrete block is the concrete. The concrete is a mixture of powdered Portland cement, sand, gravel and water. The product of this mixture is a light gray block with a fine surface texture and a high comprehensive strength.

The sand and gravel can be replaced by granulated coal or volcanic cinders, which will produce on what we commonly called cinder block. It is a dark grey colored block, good strength and higher thermal insulating value than the concrete block.

If you replaced the sand and gravel with expanded clay, shale or slate, it will produce a lightweight concrete block. This is used to build a non-load-bearing partitions and walls.

The process

It is known that there are four stages or processes in the production of concrete blocks. These are the mixing, molding, curing and cubing.

1. Mixing - It is the process where-in the sand and gravel, together with Portland cement are mixed together. Nowadays this process is done using the modern technology equipment which made the process better and faster.

2. Molding – after the sand, gravel and cement are mixed together, it is time to mold them into the form of concrete block.

3. Curing – the hardened blocks are cured in a curing water tank. This will be their home for at least two weeks. Through this process, the blocks are being kept continuously moist.

4. Cubing – after weeks in the curing tanks, the blocks then put into a cuber which aligns each block and then stacks them into a cube, three blocks across by six blocks deep by three blocks high. Then these cubes are carried out and placed in storage.

Bright Future

As experts say, concrete block will continue to evolve as architects and manufactures develop new shapes and sizes. These futuristic blocks are to promise making building construction faster and less expensive which will result in structures that are more energy efficient and durable.

Some of the possible designs includes but not limited to:

• Biaxial block – has cavities running horizontally and vertically to allow access for plumbing and electrical conduits
• Stacked siding block – stores heat to cool the interior rooms in summer and heat them in the winter days.

This is how concrete blocks came into your house and the future of them is knocking on your door!

Recommended for reading:

Steel Fabrication Company: Steel Buildings Pros and Cons - What are the pros and cons of steel buildings? Here are the answers

Choosing the Right Supplier of Construction Materials - It definitely makes sense to hire professionals rather than take the job yourself. But choosing the wrong supplier can lead to delays, subpar work, and even legal problems. So with that here is an article which will help you land the perfect construction supplier.

Basic Construction supplies you need in building your new House

Construction Materials Supplier

All of us want to have our own dream house. But not all has the financial capacity to do it. I remember my teacher who used to say “take one question at a time” during our examinations and this principle is what I applied in building our new house. Take first the important parts of the house then take the accessories later.

What do I really mean by this? I just want to say that if our pockets don’t have the funds yet, let’s start building the foundation of the house. Let it just rough walls, or no wall paper, just the plain house and from there we can add the other stuffs one at a time.

So what are the basic construction materials you need in building your new house? Here are they.

Cement

Technically, cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens and can bind other materials together. This is commonly partnered with sand and gravel to build a concrete wall with the addition of hollow blocks which serves as the skeleton.

Hollow Blocks

It is a large rectangular blocked used in construction. Concrete blocks are made from the cast concrete, usually sand and fine gravel for high-density blocks. Lower density blocks may use industrial wastes as an aggregate. Lightweight blocks can also be produced using aerated concrete.

Steel Rod

You need this to strengthen your concrete wall.

Lumber

It is a wood that has been processed into beams and planks. Lumber is mainly used for structural purposes but has many other uses as well.

Sand and Gravel

Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range.

These are just the basic things you need to start building your house, aside from hammer, nails and other tools. Just build your structure and add things in the future!