XM-19 is an Austenitic Stainless Steel with an increased Chromium & Molybdenum content which helps provide excellent corrosion resistance. XM-19 exhibits greater corrosion resistance greater than that provided by Types 304L & 316L, plus approximately twice the yield strength. Higher strength can be achieved through cold working. Importantly, it remains fully austenitic – and therefore, fully non-magnetic – even after severe cold-working.
An additional attribute of the grade is the resistance to intergranular corrosion, seawater, salts, brittleness of the materials (pitting), chlorides, sulphur compounds, dithionic, nitric, phosphoric acids and formaldehyde. There are three different types of conditions used for numerous applications. The three conditions are annealed, as-rolled and high strength. As-rolled is a term used by the mill to state the fact that it is a “rolled” material. Both the annealed condition and the as-rolled condition are rolled at the same temperature. To acquire XM-19 annealed, the material would first be rolled, followed by either a mill or local annealing process which lowers the tensile and yield properties resulting in a more workable material. On the other hand, transforming XM-19 into the high strength condition can only be done at the mill after the original rolling process, which is done at a lower temperature than annealed and as-rolled material to further help increase the properties. Then high strength material is rolled a second time and later cold worked, which again increases the physical properties of the material even more.