Stainless steel
Corrosion-resistant radiation protection metal
Stainless steels are non-combustible and have good temperature behaviour, with a melting point higher than 1,420°C, giving them a major advantage over lead.
As a result, they have the best fire resistance of all metallic materials.
Stainless steels are also highly resistant to corrosion.
WHY CHOOSE Stainless steel
- Robustness: resistance to high temperature and corrosion
- Non-magnetic
DESCRIPTION
Stainless steel: a corrosion-resistant radiation protection metal
Stainless steels are non-combustible and have good temperature behaviour, with a melting point higher than 1,420°C, giving them a major advantage over lead. As a result, they have the best fire resistance of all metallic materials. Stainless steels are also highly resistant to corrosion.
The most common grades are austenitic stainless steels 304L (Z2 CN18-10) and 316L (Z2 CND17-12).
For fasteners, the common names are A2 and A4 stainless steel (A2 for grade 304L, A4 for grade 316L).
Used for welding and machining, stainless steels are ideal for making shielding screens such as stationary or moving mechanical parts.
They are often used for containment walls in contact with the radioactive source.
Stainless steel: Radiation protection properties
Stainless steels have excellent resistance to gamma radiation.
However, under neutron flux, they produce capture gamma rays, with energies between 1 and 10 MeV, and activate at highly variable levels depending on the level of impurities (presence of Mn, CO, Ti, etc.).
Under very high neutron flux, the transition temperature (brittle fracture / ductile fracture) also increases.
CHARACTERISTICS
- Density: 7.9 (304L) to 8.02 (306L)
- Melting temperature: 1,420°C
- Ultimate tensile strength: 450 to 650 MPa for 304L, 480 to 680 MPa for 316L
- Elastic modulus: 200,000 MPa
- Ultimate elongation: 50%
- Thermal conductivity: 15 W.m-1.K-1 at 20°C, 20.95 W.m-1.K-1 at 500°C
- Mass thermal capacity: 450 J.kg -1 .K-1
- Coefficient of linear thermal expansion: 17.0.10-6 K-1 up to 200°C, 18.5.10-6 K-1 up to 500°C
- Electrical resistivity: 0.72 μΩ.m
- Poisson's ratio: 0.31
- Brinell hardness: 250
ADDITIONNAL PRODUCT
France
