MATERIALS
A butterfly valve body cast in N ’ GENIUS 326L35M4N post fettling
the reasons why British steel foundry Furniss & White became the first company in the world to manufacture castings in the N ’ GENIUS Series . The Sheffield-based firm , which serves the valve , pump , filter and engineering industries with high integrity castings from approximately 0.5kg to 2,600kg finished weight in a range of materials including carbon and low alloy steels , stainless steels and nickel alloys , is now producing castings for engineering products using various N ’ GENIUS grades under license . Sam Scholes , Managing Director at Furniss & White , said : “ We have had enquiries from customers wanting stainless steels that contain higher nitrogen and have improved castability . It is great to be able to offer them exactly that with N ’ GENIUS .” “ Some of these grades completely outperform 6Mo on strength and corrosion resistance , which is very exciting from a manufacturing perspective .” “ We expect them to be extremely popular with our existing customers and help open up new opportunities in other markets such as the US and Canada .” Among the company ’ s cast offerings , Furniss & White manufactures components for a range of valve types including globe , control , choke , ball , butterfly and through conduit gate valves . These can now be provided in various grades of the N ’ GENIUS Series , with one alloy in particular proving to be an ideal cast alternative to 6Mo alloys .
The new challenger to cast 6Mo
Containing less molybdenum and a higher level of nitrogen than 6Mo , the chemical composition of N ’ GENIUS 326L35M4N has been carefully selected to optimise castability and performance . The result is an alloy that possesses significantly higher mechanical strength properties and far superior resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion . The strength properties , pitting resistance equivalent number ( PREN ), critical pitting temperature ( CPT ) and critical crevice temperature ( CCT ) of N ’ GENIUS 326L35M4N is shown in the Table , along with that of CK3MCuN and CN3MN for comparison . As with all grades from the N ’ GENIUS Series , 326L35M4N can be manufactured in a vast array of cast and wrought product forms allowing all the various components of piping systems including valves , pumps , filters , pipes , fittings and flanges to be specified in the same material . Compared to 6Mo grades , the improved mechanical properties of N ’ GENIUS 326L35M4N will allow some of these products to be designed with a reduced wall thickness , giving engineers the opportunity to make significant weight savings on piping system projects . Alternatively , for those components in which wall thickness is difficult to reduce – including cast valve bodies – these can simply be designed with a higher degree of safety . Weight savings are particularly important for subsea and offshore structures where piping systems tend to be heavy and difficult to handle . By utilising products manufactured in N ’ GENIUS 326L35M4N these structures could become lighter , making the installation and construction easier and reducing project costs . Valves are fundamental to any piping system and choosing the right material for these components gives the best chance of it being a safe , durable and easy to maintain structure . With the availability of N ’ GENIUS , those prospects have now improved even further .
About the author A former broadcast journalist , Philip Roscoe is Communications officer at N ’ GENIUS Materials Technology . The UK-based company specialises in the invention of nextgeneration stainless steels .
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