With strength, durability and safety characteristics, stainless steel is a top choice of material for most forms of transportation.
Whether you are seeking to fly, float or roll, stainless steel is an optimal choice for the manufacturing of most vessels or vehicles. Stainless steel’s strength and durability help it withstand most elements and provides for a longer lifespan of your transportation components.
Here are four transportation applications for this versatile metal.
Aircraft
According to the FAA stainless steel may be used on many parts of an aircraft. These parts include exhaust collectors, stacks and manifolds, structural and machined parts, springs, castings, tie rods, control cases and more.
Whether you are manufacturing the original aircraft or refurbishing/repairing, it is important that your building materials match or maintain:
- The necessary strength of the structure
- The contour or aerodynamic smoothness
- The appropriate weight of the aircraft to function safely
- The necessary corrosion resistant properties of metal material used
The properties of stainless steel enable you to easily achieve these crucial attributes when constructing or repairing an aircraft. With proper calculations for the aircraft’s aerodynamic and weight requirements, this metal can fulfill all four points.
Boats & Watercraft
Stainless steel has a variety of significant applications for marine vessels, such as ships, boats, yachts and more. As watercraft encounter harsh conditions of water and wind at high speeds, durability is a substantial concern.
Stainless steel is chosen to make watercraft propellers, particularly for saltwater vessels, due to its corrosion-resistance and the ease with which it can be cleaned. These qualities of stainless steel increase the propeller’s durability. It is also used to make an assortment of anchors and ladders, as well as accessories and hardware for boats and yachts of all sizes.
Trains & Railway Cars
Stainless steel is also a commonly used metal material in the railway industry, both for exterior build and internal details. For example, stainless steel can be used for the steel coils joining rail cars together and for the handrails and tray tables inside passenger trains.
This metal is the ideal choice for both passenger railcars and equipment transport as it has:
- High energy-absorption for increased safety
- Corrosion resistant properties
- Excellent fire resistance
- Longer service lives
Automobiles
Stainless steel also plays a large role in the manufacturing of automobiles. For example, steel pipe or tube is used for the exhaust of cars and trucks. Additionally, blanking of flat-rolled steel to the specifications of your door or hood can be executed prior to stamping your stainless steel to save you money in transporting excess metal.
Likewise, motorcycle manufacturing often uses stainless steel to protect the body of the bike from the harsh elements and subsequent corrosion from dirt, wind and rain. This material is also easy to clean, enabling riders to maintain their vehicle for longer, especially important for extreme performance vehicles such as dirt bikes.
Find the Stainless Steel You Need
American Douglas Metals provides stainless steel in coils, sheets, blanks, piping and tubing to help you complete all of your transportation project needs. Our fabrication, manufacturing and distribution services help you save the time and money of working with multiple vendors and ensure your final product is the greatest quality metal working.
Learn more about American Douglas Metals’ flat-rolled stainless steel and carbon steel products today.