Fittings
Hardening stainless steel for valve components
Valves are essential products in fittings construction which are frequently subject to wear. Inlet and outlet valves are exposed to high mechanical stresses, often connected with additional thermal and chemical loading. Depending on the application, the demands on corrosion protection are particularly high. Fittings technology used on the sea must also withstand the chloride-related corrosion which is inevitable in the sea air. The chloride ions contained in the sea air attack the passive layers of the steel and promote the corrosion process. Along with the high demands regarding corrosion, signs of cavitation in valves are also frequently a cause of wear. In this case, the haedening of the stainless steel used helps to prevent damage due to collapsing steam bubbles.
Additional relevant products and applications in fittings technology
Additional products frequently hardened with the BORINOX® process include valve balls, metallic gaskets and tribological pairings, valve plates, pump housings, rotors, stators and actuators. All of the products are particularly susceptible to abrasion wear, cavitation and cold welding due to the low hardness of the stainless steels used.
These materials can be hardened with the BORINOX® process
Austenitic and duplex steel sorts are frequently used in fittings technology. 1.4301 (AISI 304), 1.4304, 1.4571 (AISI 316Ti), 1.4401 (AISI 316), 1.4404 (AISI 316L) and 1.4462 (AISI 318LN) are used with particular frequency. These and all additional types are particularly suited for processing with BORINOX®. BORINOX® increases the hardness and thus the wear resistance while retaining the existing corrosion protection.
What advantages are offered by the hardening of stainless steel?
The advantages of the BORINOX® treatment lie in the fact that the positive properties of the steels used are retained while significantly increasing the hardness. The corrosion resistance of the materials used in the fittings technology is not impaired. BORINOX® therefore ideally protects against abrasion, cold welding, erosion and cavitation.
Additional applications: