Mr. Bloom is to be complimented on presenting such a wealth of information on a subject of current interest to so many of us. This paper serves to emphasize a point often overlooked—that when we talk of 12 percent chromium steel, we’re talking not of a single alloy, but of a number of complex materials subject to significant changes in mechanical and corrosion properties depending on both chemical composition and heat treatment. This has been brought out in recent work on sulfide corrosion cracking in which some annealed alloy steels, including 12 percent chromium steel, were appreciably more resistant to sulfide corrosion cracking than the same alloys in the hardened condition.
Mr. Bloom’s comments would be appreciated as to what variations in physical properties, such as hardness and impact strength, could be expected in commercial practice with some specfic item such as Type 410 stainless steel valve stems, heat treated...
