Al -Al Belli wrote:Hi Larry,
Stainless steel has a much lower heat conductivity factor than carbon steel. That's why the more expensive stainless steel pots and pans have a laminated structure with stainless on the inside and outside, and an inner core of carbon steel. Cheap stainless steel pots and pans will burn the food at the flame contact area.
Your stainless parts take longer to cool because of the poor thermal conductivity.
Al Belli
Yes, I was aware of the basic cause of the difference. It's what makes SS welding difficult sometimes because of buckling, for example. My question is really how that plays out in terms of cooling. I'm kind of asking whether the plain steel will deliver heat more effectively to the cooling airflow, or is that more of an issue of radiation effectiveness alone? I don't have any education in heat transfer, but I assume that the pickup of heat by air flowing over the surface must be be largely by contact, and only a little by radiation -- but I'm not really sure how that sorts itself out.
L Cottrill