1. In about 40 years from 1960 to 1999, the output of stainless steel in Western countries soared from 2.15 million tons to 17.28 million tons, an increase of about 8 times, with an average annual growth rate of about 5.5%. Stainless steel is mainly used in kitchens, home appliances, transportation, construction, and civil engineering. In terms of kitchen utensils, there are mainly washing tanks and electric and gas water heaters, and home appliances mainly include the drum of automatic washing machines. From the viewpoint of environmental protection such as energy saving and recycling, the demand for stainless steel is expected to expand further.
In the field of transportation, there are mainly exhaust systems for railway vehicles and automobiles. The stainless steel used for exhaust systems is about 20-30kg per vehicle, and the annual demand in the world is about 1 million tons, which is the largest application field of stainless steel.
In the construction sector, there has been a recent surge in demand, such as guards in Singapore MRT stations, using around 5,000 tonnes of stainless steel exterior trim. Another example is Japan. After 1980, the stainless steel used in the construction industry has increased by about 4 times, mainly used for roofs, building interior and exterior decoration, and structural materials. In the 1980s, 304-type unpainted materials were used as roofing materials in the coastal areas of Japan, and the use of painted stainless steel gradually changed from the consideration of rust prevention. In the 1990s, 20% or more high Cr ferritic stainless steels with high corrosion resistance were developed and used as roofing materials, and various surface finishing techniques were developed for aesthetics.
In the field of civil engineering, stainless steel is used for dam suction towers in Japan. In the cold regions of Europe and the United States, to prevent the freezing of highways and bridges, it is necessary to sprinkle salt, which accelerates the corrosion of steel bars, so stainless steel bars are used. In the roads in North America, about 40 places have used stainless steel rebar in the past three years, and the usage amount of each place is 200-1000 tons. In the future, the market of stainless steel in this field will make a difference.
2. The key to expanding the application of stainless steel in the future is environmental protection, long life, and the popularity of IT.
Regarding environmental protection, first, from the viewpoint of environmental protection, the demand for heat-resistant and high-temperature corrosion-resistant stainless steel for high-temperature waste incinerators, LNG power plants, and high-efficiency power plants using coal to suppress dioxin generation will expand. It is also estimated that the battery casing of fuel cell vehicles, which will be put into practical use in the early 21st century, will also use stainless steel. From the viewpoint of water quality and environmental protection, in water supply and drainage treatment equipment, stainless steel with excellent corrosion resistance will also expand the demand.
Regarding long life, the use of stainless steel is increasing in existing bridges, highways, tunnels, and other facilities in Europe, and this trend is expected to spread all over the world. In addition, the lifespan of general residential buildings in Japan is particularly short at 20-30 years, and the disposal of waste materials has become a major problem. With the recent emergence of buildings with a lifespan of 100 years, the demand for materials with excellent durability will grow. From the perspective of global environmental protection, while reducing civil engineering and construction waste, it is necessary to explore how to reduce maintenance costs from the design stage of introducing new concepts.
Regarding the popularization of IT, in the process of IT development and popularization, functional materials play a great role in equipment hardware, and the requirements for high-precision and high-functional materials are very large. For example, in mobile phone and microcomputer components, the high strength, elasticity, and non-magnetic properties of stainless steel are flexibly applied, which expands the application of stainless steel. Also in manufacturing equipment for semiconductors and various substrates, stainless steel with good cleanliness and durability plays an important role.
Stainless steel has many excellent properties that other metals do not have and is a material with excellent durability and recyclability. In the future, stainless steel will be widely used in various fields in response to changes in the times.
Post time: Nov-02-2022