Stainless Steel - AISI 310 Alloy - Material Information

AISI 310 stainless steel is a high-temperature, corrosion-resistant austenitic alloy designed for demanding thermal environments. Combining 25% chromium and 20% nickel, this material delivers excellent oxidation resistance, creep strength, and structural stability, making it ideal for furnace parts, heat exchangers, and industrial combustion systems.

Material Overview

The microstructure of AISI 310 stainless steel is fully austenitic, characterized by a face-centered cubic (FCC) lattice that remains stable up to 1150 °C. The alloy’s high chromium content promotes a continuous Cr?O? oxide film, providing strong protection against oxidation and sulfidation (Norton et al., 1993). It has a thermal conductivity of 14.2 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹ at 100 °C and a coefficient of thermal expansion of 15.9×10?? K?¹. At ambient temperature, the yield strength is around 205 MPa and tensile strength averages 515 MPa, though both decrease gradually above 600 °C (Zhang et al., 2023). Water vapor and sulfur atmospheres can influence oxide film stability, with water vapor accelerating chromia volatilization by forming volatile CrO?(OH)? species (Tsai & Ma, 2024). Despite this, AISI 310 maintains long-term corrosion resistance under oxidizing and carburizing conditions typical of turbines and gasifiers.

Applications and Advantages

AISI 310 stainless steel is widely used in high-temperature structural and chemical processing components. Its resilience against scaling and carburization allows for extended service life in furnace linings, burner tubes, muffles, and retorts. Higuera-Hidalgo et al. (2005) demonstrated stable oxidation kinetics up to 1000 °C under both 10% and 21% oxygen atmospheres, confirming its reliability under cyclic thermal exposure. Compared to similar alloys such as AISI 304 or 316, AISI 310 provides superior creep resistance and scaling behavior due to its optimized Cr–Ni ratio and minimal carbide precipitation. It also exhibits low magnetic permeability in the annealed condition, further supporting its use in environments sensitive to magnetic interference.

Goodfellow Availability

Goodfellow offers AISI 310 stainless steel in multiple research and industrial formats for applications requiring excellent thermal stability, oxidation resistance, and mechanical strength at elevated temperatures. Custom sizes and precision finishes are available. Explore stainless steels and other high-performance alloys through the Goodfellow product finder.

References

• Norton, J. F., Baxter, D. J., Santorelli, R. L., & Bregani, F. (1993). The corrosion of AISI 310 stainless steel exposed to sulphidizing/oxidizing/carburizing atmospheres at 600 °C. Corrosion Science, 34(3), 383–397. https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-938X(93)90327-D
• Tsai, W.-T., & Ma, M. (2024). Influence of water vapor on high temperature oxidation behavior of type 310 stainless steel. Meeting Abstracts, 2024(21), 1554. https://doi.org/10.1149/ma2024-02131554mtgabs
• Higuera-Hidalgo, V., Belzunce-Varela, F. J., & Riba-López, J. (2005). Oxidación cíclica de un acero refractario AISI 310 a alta temperatura en atmósferas con contenidos de oxígeno variables. Revista de Metalurgia, 41(3), 206–214. https://doi.org/10.3989/revmetalm.2005.v41.i3.206
• Zhang, J., Li, Z., Lin, L., & Liu, K. (2023). High-temperature mechanical properties evaluation of 310S stainless steel. Materials at High Temperatures. https://doi.org/10.1080/09603409.2023.2281111
• Shin, S. M., & Wang, J. P. (2014). A comparative study on the oxidation of Fe–25Cr–7Ni–4Mo and Fe–25Cr–7Ni–2Mo–4W steels. Applied Mechanics and Materials, 620, 453–456. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.620.453