Pentagon declares war on rust(arstechnica.com)
arstechnica.com
Pentagon declares war on rust
http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/01/pentagon-declares-war-on-rust.ars
3 comments
Is it just me, or is the entire 'War on X' meme beginning to get annoying?
I'm not entirely certain that this was the first use of the phrase, but the "War on Drugs" started before I was even born (the seventies). To say it is "beginning" to get annoying is to say that my avocado colored bathroom is beginning to look a little dated.
The War on Poverty is the name for legislation first introduced by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address on January 8, 1964. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_on_Poverty
There's only one way to stop this trend...
How expensive (or otherwise impractical) is stainless steel, compared to regular steel?
Stainless steel can have surprising failure modes. For instance, crevice corrosion[1].
The shiny stainless steel fittings holding up your sailboat mast can corrode straight through without more than some tiny telltale signs.
You can see an example here: http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=107622 The manufacturing likely provided a tiny crack, splash a little salt water and next thing you know your sailboat's mast is in the water next to it trying to bash a hole in the hull.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crevice_corrosion
The shiny stainless steel fittings holding up your sailboat mast can corrode straight through without more than some tiny telltale signs.
You can see an example here: http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=107622 The manufacturing likely provided a tiny crack, splash a little salt water and next thing you know your sailboat's mast is in the water next to it trying to bash a hole in the hull.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crevice_corrosion
Stainless steel is also quite hard which means it can be a bit more brittle than milder steels, and probably not appropriate for some applications. Springs come to mind and any time the steel will have to dissipate heat quickly.
I work (partly) with the marine industry, where stainless is a common metal. The main problem is that there are many alloys of iron, of which that is only one, and each has its various benefits. Most bolts are rated grade 1-8. If a grade specific bolt is specified, then stainless is a problem. Or if vanadium (spring) steel is needed. Etc., etc.