Surface Cracking Issue on Stainless Steel Plate

321 stainless steel plate is a material with high toughness, fatigue resistance, and easy weldability, it is widely used in hardware, shipbuilding, aerospace, machinery, and other industries. The stainless steel plate is manufactured using a non-twisting rolling method, which results in smooth and clean surface with precise dimensions.

However, during the production process, stainless steel plates may crack due to various reasons. There are three main situations that may cause to cracks:

1. Straight or zigzag cracks appear along the rolling direction, it caused by surface folding. To prevent the problem, it is necessary to adopt a reasonable deoxidation alloying process by controling the oxygen content in the molten steel and removing impurities from the steel.

2. Cracks containing impurities are usually caused by insufficient treatment of the impurities. Therefore, it is important to clean the impurities in the molten steel during the rolling process.

3. Oxidation of subcutaneous bubbles at the crack. This problem occurs when the molten steel contains a significant amount of gas. During solidification, the gas is released, forming bubbles. The bubbles on the surface of the ingot then develop into subcutaneous bubbles, resulting in a honeycomb-like vertical arrangement. After oxidation, welding becomes impossible, which leading to cracks. The solution to this problem is to implement comprehensive protection measures throughout the entire pouring process, avoiding secondary oxidation of the molten steel, reducing the generation of bubbles, and improving the purity of the ingot.

The above are three situation that may cause to cracks during production of stainless steel plate, with solution in the article. Hope it is helpful for you when face this kind of problem.