Hello Larry,
Most high quality stainless fasteners are grade 5 or better 316 stainless. They
could be used in any almost application except where grade 8 is required. Any
time you use a dissimilar metal there is a chance of galvanic corrosion. To
reduce the effect use Never-Seize. The never seize is very important when
screwing the fasteners into aluminum. Sailboats use 316 hardware exclusively and
are exposed to salt water spray continuously. They don't corrode.
Craig
Theo Smit wrote:
> I will probably get corrected on this, but I was told by one of our MEs that
> stainless steel is actually not a good material to use for a fastener in a
> corrosive environment (such as in a wheel well), because the screws will
> corrode. A better choice is a zinc-plated steel screw, because the zinc acts
> as a sacrificial material, and therefore will protect the screw even if the
> zinc coating is scratched (not sure what happens when the zinc is all
> gone...). You might also be able to get zinc-plated screws in higher-tensile
> steel.
>
> Regards,
> Theo
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