Why is the stainless steel track magnetic, and why does it rust?
DualVee track is made from type 420 martensitic stainless steel. This alloy can be heat treated to produce a hardened track surface, which provides good wear resistance in service. Martensitic alloys are magnetic in all heat treatment conditions, which relates to the ratio of iron/chromium contents within the chemical compositions of the alloys. It has been observed that stainless steel track can rust in service. However, all grades of stainless steels can rust in certain environments, but some are more corrosion resistant than others. For example, austenitic stainless steels (300 series) are accepted as having the best corrosion resistance of all stainless steel alloys. The lower corrosion resistance of type 420 can be attributed to a lower chromium content than 300 series stainless steels. It is important to note that while 300 series stainless steels are the most corrosion resistant alloys, they are not hardenable by heat treatment. This inability to harden means that 300 series sta
