Metallurgical Engineering Mock Interview
Practice 30 Metallurgical Engineering interview questions covering phase diagrams, failure analysis, and materials processing.
Question 3 of 30
What are the main differences between ferritic and austenitic stainless steels?
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Carilee Moran is a retired automotive engineer with 30 years of experience writing and editing technical reports.
There is a lot more to metallurgy than just making and using steel, but for a metallurgist, being able to intelligently discuss the differences between ferritic and austenitic stainless steels is pretty basic. Know it. Even if you are interviewing with a silicon wafer manufacturer, knowing the answer to a basic question like this demonstrates that you have a good educational foundation that the prospective employer can expect to build on. Being able to cite common applications of these steels would be a cherry on top of your basic answer.
Carilee Moran is a retired automotive engineer with 30 years of experience writing and editing technical reports.
"All stainless steels contain chromium, 10% or more. Ferritic stainless steels may contain small amounts of other elements such as titanium or molybdenum, but austenitic stainless steels also contain significant amounts of nickel. As a result, the crystal structure of austenitic stainless steels is face-centered cubic, while the structure of ferritic stainless steels is body-centered cubic, as in mild steels. While both are more corrosion resistant than typical mild steels, they are quite different in other ways. Ferritic stainless steels are magnetic, austenitics are not. Austenitic stainless steels are more corrosion resistant than ferritic. They are also tougher and more ductile. However, they are a lot more expensive."
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