TY - CHAP AU - Grzegorz Golański AU - Adam Zieliński AU - Hanna Purzyńska ED - Wojciech Borek ED - Tomasz Tanski ED - Zbigniew Brytan Y1 - 2017-12-20 PY - 2017 T1 - Precipitation Processes in Creep-Resistant Austenitic Steels N2 - Stainless steel is still one of the fastest growing materials. Today, the austenitic stainless steel with the classic composition of 18% Cr and 8% Ni (grade 304L) is still the most widely used by far in the world. The unique characteristic of stainless steel arises from three main factors. The versatility results from high corrosion resistance, excellent low- and high-temperature properties, high toughness, formability, and weldability. The long life of stainless steels has been proven in service in a wide range of environments, together with low maintenance costs compared to other highly alloyed metallic materials. The retained value of stainless steel results from the high intrinsic value and easy recycling. Stainless steel, especially of austenitic microstructure, plays a crucial role in achieving sustainable development nowadays, so it is also important for further generations. BT - Austenitic Stainless Steels SP - Ch. 5 UR - https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.70941 DO - 10.5772/intechopen.70941 SN - 978-953-51-3702-3 PB - IntechOpen CY - Rijeka Y2 - 2024-03-29 ER -