The History of Stainless Steel provides a fascinating glimpse into a vital material that we may take for granted today. Stainless steel, called “the miracle metal and the crowning achievement of metallurgy by the prominent metallurgist Carl Zapffe, is a material marvel with an equally fascinating history of people, places, and technology.
As stainless steel nears the hundredth anniversary of its discovery, The History of Stainless Steel by Harold Cobb is a fitting perspective on a vital material of our modern life. Aptly called the miracle metal by the renowned metallurgist Carl Zapffe, stainless steel is not only a metallurgical marvel, but its history provides an equally fascinating story of curiosity, competitive persistence, and entrepreneurial spirit.
The History of Stainless Steel is the world's first book that captures the unfolding excitement and innovations of stainless steel pioneers and entrepreneurs. Many new insights are given into the work of famous pioneers like Harry Brearley, Elwood Haynes, and Benno Strauss, including significant technical contributions of lesser known figures like William Krivsky.
This fascinating history of stainless steel exemplifies the great push of progress in the 20th Century. From the stainless steel cutlery of Brearley in 1913, stainless steel burst on the modern scene in many tangible ways. Excerpted text by William Van Alen, architect of the Chrysler Building, describes the early architectural use of stainless steel. Another historic application of stainless steel is the revolution in rail travel by the Edward G. Budd Company, which built the first light-weight stainless steel passenger trains with an astounding 90% reduction in fuel costs. This remains recognized today as one of the technological marvels of the modern world.
List of Tables and Figures
Preface
Acknowledgments
Credits
About the Authors
Chapter 1 : Introduction
Chapter 2 : The Early Discoveries
Chapter 3 : Discoveries of the Commercial Usefulness of Stainless Steel
Chapter 4 : The Great Stainless Steel Symposium (1924)
Chapter 5 : The Life of Harry Brearley (1871-1948)
Chapter 6 : The Early Books and Papers on Stainless Steel (1917-1949)
Chapter 7 : The Chrysler Building (1930)
Chapter 8 : Edward G. Budd (1870-1946), Inventor and Entrepreneur
Chapter 9 : The Gateway Arch
Chapter 10 : The History of Stainless Steel Melting and Refining
Chapter 11 : Two New Classes of Stainless Steel
Chapter 12 : Stainless Steel Applications
Chapter 13 : Canada Restores a Fleet of Stainless Steel Railcars
Chapter 14 : The Plummer Classification System of Trade Names
Chapter 15 : The Unified Numbering System (UNS) for Metals and Alloys
Chapter 16 : The Naming and Numbering of Stainless Steels
Appendix 1 : Stainless Steel Bibliography
Appendix 2 : A Stainless Steel Timeline
Index