Stainless steel
Acero inoxidable
- Date
- 1912–1913 · confidence high
- Place
- Sheffield, England
- Credited to
- Harry Brearley (martensitic, Sheffield, 1913); Eduard Maurer and Benno Strauss (austenitic, Krupp, Essen, 1912); Léon Guillet (1904)
- People
- 👤 Harry Brearley1871–1948
- Field
- Matter & energy
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
Iron alloy with over 10% chromium that does not rust. It solved corrosion in cutlery, medical instruments and chemical equipment.
Krupp patented austenitic steel (V2A) in 1912; Brearley discovered it independently while seeking gun barrels resistant to erosion.
What it led to
- Hygienic kitchens and hospitals
- Continuous-process chemical and food industries
- Architecture (Chrysler Building) and turbines
Built on
- Nickel1751
- Chromium1797
- Electric arc furnace for melting metal1878-1879
- Bessemer steel
- Electric furnace
- Ferrochrome
Made possible
- Turbojet engine1937–1939
- Modern surgical instruments
- Chemical reactors