Stellite alloys offer exceptional hardness and strength while also being extremely resistant to corrosion. They can often be machined without significant tool wear.
While used for many applications such as valve seat hard facing, the satellite has been banned from nuclear power plants due to trace amounts of cobalt-60 that can cause worker exposure. Replacement materials have been developed, however.
High-Temperature Resistance
Stellite is a family of cobalt-based alloys extremely resistant to erosion, corrosion, and abrasion at elevated temperatures. The alloy has many variants, with specific compositions optimized for other uses.
Stellite alloys have large chromium carbides and retain their hardness at operating temperatures, making them ideal for high-temperature applications where lubricants can’t be used. For example, the locking lugs and shoulders of Voere Titan II machine gun barrels are made from precision-cast Stellite.
In addition to its high-temperature resistance, Stellite can withstand harsh environments with high chemical and abrasion wear. It is excellent for abrasive contact surfaces such as cutting tools and wear plates. Stellite also exhibits good corrosion resistance, especially in acidic environments. This is because the alloy has a low coefficient of friction that prevents metal pick-up from other metallurgically compatible materials.
Low Corrosion Resistance
The cobalt-based Stellite alloys (Co-6) have excellent mechanical properties. They are highly resistant to cavitation, corrosion, and erosion due to the formation of hard chromium carbides and have excellent wear resistance. They can also withstand high temperatures and moderate galling.
Most Alloys produce custom stellite parts in bar and sheet form and fabricate them into components to your specification. These materials are compatible with gas-shielded tungsten arc welding (TIG), metal arc welding, shielded arc welding, and oxyacetylene welding under 25CFH argon gas flow.
Laser surface alloying is a promising method of improving functional materials’ wear and corrosion properties. The LSA process uses the energy from a laser beam to fuse rhenium into the surface of the Stellite 6 alloy substrate. This study used a strip-shaped additive manufactured stellite 6 part and its heat-treated counterpart with the same manufacturing parameters to verify whether residual stress in the component affects its microstructure and hardness.
High Strength
Stellite is a cobalt-chromium alloy that can be incorporated into various components. It is a solid material that can withstand extreme temperatures, making it ideal for many applications. It is also very durable and resists wear and corrosion. It is non-magnetic and can withstand high pressures.
In addition, it has a high resistance to abrasion and erosion. This material’s wrought structure and large chromium carbides provide excellent wear resistance. This makes it suitable for various industrial and commercial applications, including machinery, tools, firearms, aircraft parts, and nuclear equipment.
To evaluate the performance of LENS technology for fabricating a Co-6 alloy coating on gas turbine components. The powder was dried by air oxidation at 200 deg C and then subjected to laser deposition. After deposition, a stress relief annealing was performed on the component. Visual inspection and macroscopic analysis of the part showed that it had excellent refinement of its microstructure, and the quality of the coating/substrate interface was improved.
High Wear Resistance
Metal Stellite produces solutions that minimize unplanned equipment downtime and reduce maintenance expenditures. We offer solid cobalt- and nickel-based alloy castings, coatings, and overlay materials that protect critical components in industries faced with high heat, erosion, and wear challenges. These include aerospace/aircraft components, printing pulp & textile machinery, mining equipment, air/steam compressor, pump & valve parts, and oil field equipment.
Unlike other alloys, wrought Stellite retains hardness and mechanical properties at temperatures up to 1800F. It also resists corrosion & wear in harsh environments, with some applications lasting over 30 years. The wrought structure and large chromium carbides provide abrasive wear resistance comparable to much harder cast materials – even without lubricants.
The wear behavior of Stellite and SS415 (a stainless steel alloy with a softer, tempered martensitic microstructure) was tested using laser-cladding on a light rail substrate. The cladding alloy exhibited significantly lower volumetric wear than the light rail. This is due to the equiaxed dendritic arm spacing and the absence of significant anisotropy in the microstructure.
