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EN 1.4646 (X6CrMnNiCuN18-12-4-2) Stainless Steel

EN 1.4646 stainless steel is an austenitic stainless steel formulated for primary forming into wrought products. Cited properties are appropriate for the solution annealed (AT) condition. 1.4646 is the EN numeric designation for this material. X6CrMnNiCuN18-12-4-2 is the EN chemical designation.

It has a moderately low base cost among wrought austenitic stainless steels. In addition, it has a moderately low embodied energy and a moderately low ductility.

The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare EN 1.4646 stainless steel to: wrought austenitic stainless steels (top), all iron alloys (middle), and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness

220

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus

200 GPa 28 x 106 psi

Elongation at Break

34 %

Fatigue Strength

340 MPa 49 x 103 psi

Impact Strength: V-Notched Charpy

90 J 67 ft-lb

Poisson's Ratio

0.28

Shear Modulus

77 GPa 11 x 106 psi

Shear Strength

500 MPa 73 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)

750 MPa 110 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)

430 MPa 62 x 103 psi

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion

290 J/g

Maximum Temperature: Corrosion

410 °C 780 °F

Maximum Temperature: Mechanical

910 °C 1670 °F

Melting Completion (Liquidus)

1390 °C 2530 °F

Melting Onset (Solidus)

1340 °C 2450 °F

Specific Heat Capacity

480 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F

Thermal Expansion

17 µm/m-K

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price

13 % relative

Density

7.7 g/cm3 480 lb/ft3

Embodied Carbon

2.8 kg CO2/kg material

Embodied Energy

41 MJ/kg 18 x 103 BTU/lb

Embodied Water

160 L/kg 19 gal/lb

Common Calculations

PREN (Pitting Resistance)

23

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)

220 MJ/m3

Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)

460 kJ/m3

Stiffness to Weight: Axial

14 points

Stiffness to Weight: Bending

25 points

Strength to Weight: Axial

27 points

Strength to Weight: Bending

24 points

Thermal Shock Resistance

16 points

Alloy Composition

Among wrought stainless steels, the composition of EN 1.4646 stainless steel is notable for containing a comparatively high amount of manganese (Mn). Manganese is used to improve ductility at elevated temperatures. It also permits a higher nitrogen content than would otherwise be possible.

Iron (Fe)Fe 59 to 67.3
Chromium (Cr)Cr 17 to 19
Manganese (Mn)Mn 10.5 to 12.5
Nickel (Ni)Ni 3.5 to 4.5
Copper (Cu)Cu 1.5 to 3.0
Silicon (Si)Si 0 to 1.0
Molybdenum (Mo)Mo 0 to 0.5
Nitrogen (N)N 0.2 to 0.3
Carbon (C)C 0.020 to 0.1
Phosphorus (P)P 0 to 0.050
Sulfur (S)S 0 to 0.015

All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.

Followup Questions

Similar Alloys

Further Reading

EN 10088-2: Stainless steels - Part 2: Technical delivery conditions for sheet/plate and strip of corrosion resisting steels for general purposes

EN 10088-3: Stainless steels - Part 3: Technical delivery conditions for semi-finished products, bars, rods, wire, sections and bright products of corrosion resisting steels for general purposes

Welding Metallurgy and Weldability of Stainless Steels, John C. Lippold and Damian J. Kotecki, 2005

EN 10088-1: Stainless steels - Part 1: List of stainless steels

Corrosion of Austenitic Stainless Steels: Mechanism, Mitigation and Monitoring, H. S. Khatak and B. Raj (editors), 2002

Austenitic Stainless Steels: Microstructure and Mechanical Properties, P. Marshall, 1984

Advances in Stainless Steels, Baldev Raj et al. (editors), 2010