Given its reputation, this may not be the first question that you have when considering Stainless Steel as a surface protection solution in healthcare. But there are very specific reasons why certain stainless steels are more effective than others for medical purposes. When it comes to assessing how it will hold up you need to understand the subtle differences in gauges and grades of stainless steel that proof its performance.
Grades
There are more than 60 grades of stainless steel available, that seems overwhelming right from the onset, so let’s help you break it down.
Different grades have different properties due to the combinations of metals. And each grade of stainless steel is based on the amount of chromium, nickel, molybdenum, and other alloying elements in in the steel itself.
Chromium is what makes stainless ‘stainless’. Air reacts with the chromium, forming a tough coating on the outside of the steel that doesn’t rust. Nickel reduces brittleness, giving it much higher high-temperature strength to resist deforming or creeping under stress. Molybdenum, on the other hand, increases corrosion resistance, especially against chlorine and salt.
Belroc offers 304 and 316 stainless steels grades on sheet, corner guards, crash guard, end and wall guards.
While the two most popular grades of stainless steel might seem identical at a glance, they hold important differences that can lead to substantial savings over the life of the healthcare environment they are designed for. Austenitic 304 and 316 stainless steels are considered surgical or medical-grade stainless steels; therefore they are the most common stainless steels used in building and construction applications. They provide favourable fabrication properties and are by far the most widely used group of stainless steels, their overwhelming popularity is due to several factors:
- Formability
- Weldability
- Toughness
- High-Temperature properties
- Sustainability
- Ease of Production
Interestingly, both 304 and 316 stainless steels, due to their austenitic crystal structure, are non-magnetic. This is helpful in a medical environment, where equipment may create strong magnetic fields.
Type 304 is the most common and widely sold, considered a middle of the road stainless steel, it can be used for just about anything. In healthcare, it can deliver a standard corrosion resistance, formability, strength, and easy maintenance. Key when it comes to durability and cleanability in high-traffic corridors.
Type 316 is marine grade and often used for surgical implements, recommended specifically to be used in wet or humid areas. While 316 comes in second in terms of quantities sold, it offers vastly superior corrosion resistance to chlorides and acids. This heavy-duty product is often seen in surgical or operating rooms to support clinical handwashing for sterile procedures.
These increased resistances of stainless steel also help to take the guesswork out of cleaning and allow for higher cleaning frequencies and the use of stronger cleansers and detergents with little worry of damage or altering the appearance of the stainless steel.
Gauge
For the most part, the benefit of extra steel thickness is sometimes not fully understood or appreciated.
Rather than inches or millimeters, steel is measured in terms of ‘gauge’. A sheet metal gauge is a standard unit of measure used to determine the thickness of a metal sheet. The word gauge is derived from the French word ‘jauge’, meaning ‘result of measurement’.
As a general rule, steel strength increases by the cube of its thickness. So, if you double the thickness of a piece of steel, it is not merely twice as strong, but surprisingly more like eight times stronger. This means that 16 gauge is about 4.05 times stronger than 20, and 2.07 times as strong as 18.
The gauge number and thickness have an inverse relationship – the higher the gauge number, the thinner the sheet. The numbers of a steel gauge chart typically range between 3-30, for example a 14-gauge stainless steel is vastly more durable than a 22-gauge steel.
Belroc gives you a choice of 16, 18, and 20 gauges, comparison measurements are as follows:
- 16 is equivalent to .051 inches and 1.291 mm
- 18 is equivalent to .040 in and 1.024 mm
- 20 is equivalent to .032 in and 0.812 mm
Higher than 20 gauge is too weak to serve as adequate protection on corner guards.
Our surface mounted corner guards also have slightly creased/bent edges. This allows space for the glue attaching the corner guards to the wall, and lets the corner guard fit better if the corner is not exactly 90 degrees.
Key considerations in the design of healthcare environments:
- Different gauges of sheet metal have different strengths, the gauge you choose on sheet material would have a higher gauge that that of a crashrail or corner guard.
- Thinner gauges are generally less expensive, and typically not as durable.
- Thicker gauges tend to be more robust and less prone to denting or warping, contributing to the longevity of your components, key when combining various products together.
- Thicker gauges result in heavier parts, which might be a consideration for designs with weight or size constraints which is important when applying products to specific substrates.
By matching the grade and gauge of stainless steel to your intended usage and environment, you can optimize both the financial and physical benefits of your healthcare construction project. Through our consultative process, Belroc takes all these factors into account to deliver high-quality products for consistency, facilitates quality control, and help you to make informed decisions about the best material for your needs.
For more information on our products, visit our Stainless Steel solutions page or book an appointment with our Surface Protection Specialist, Brandon McCamley through his email [email protected].