High Performance Alloys' work can be seen all across the country. High Performance Alloys has been featured in public works including the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Hoover Dam. Our product is something that is able to not only hold through the test of time, but also through extreme conditions.
For instance, the Hoover Dam and the Brooklyn Bridge project both chose to use Nitronic 60 for their products. They both decided to go with the alloy because it’s galling resistance and its corrosion resistance.
The Hoover Dam’s construction began in 1931 and the structure features 4,360,000 cubic yards of concrete in the dam, powerplant and appurtenant works. The dam was built to create a power source for the surrounding community. The Hoover Dam features 17 generators, each of which can supply 100,000 houses with electricity.
High Performance Alloys’ supplied Nitronic 60 for the face plates in the generator. Also, the blades for the generator will have an overlay of Nitronic 60, or ER218. Both alloys were basically the same so the galling properties were necessary. It was necessary for the alloy to handle the high stress environments that the generators create.
While it is unusual to try to self-mate materials for galling and wear resistance, it does happen quite frequently. Self mating materials is not an issue with NITRONIC 60 though, as some of it's best wear and galling properties are in the self mated category. They typical thought process is to have a difference of hardness between mating surfaces. This helps the designer to note which part "should" be the replacement item, according to the lower hardness. Hardness being correlative to the tensile strength and thereby relative to the yield strength. Hardness is very subjective though, varying a couple points either way. The correlation between hardness and strength is strong, but these should not be an absolute determination of galling and wear potential. NITRONIC 60, due to it's chemical composition, has very good wear and galling resistance, even with a machinable strength.
Are there better materials for wear and galling? Sure there are. Cobalt based materials have been around for quite some time, but on a cost comparison - this material would perform outstandingly. This is assuming you need at least a bit of corrosion resistance.
While it is unusual to try to self-mate materials for galling and wear resistance, it does happen quite frequently. Self mating materials is not an issue with NITRONIC 60 though, as some of it's best wear and galling properties are in the self mated category. They typical thought process is to have a difference of hardness between mating surfaces. This helps the designer to note which part "should" be the replacement item, according to the lower hardness. Hardness being correlative to the tensile strength and thereby relative to the yield strength. Hardness is very subjective though, varying a couple points either way. The correlation between hardness and strength is strong, but these should not be an absolute determination of galling and wear potential. NITRONIC 60, due to it's chemical composition, has very good wear and galling resistance, even with a machinable strength.
Are there better materials for wear and galling? Sure there are. Cobalt based materials have been around for quite some time, but on a cost comparison - this material would perform outstandingly. This is assuming you need at least a bit of corrosion resistance.
We've supplied regularly Nitronic 60 as part of a maintenance program. It’s important for the Hoover Dam to be able to continue to provide power for the surrounding area and High Performance Alloys is happy to be able to help.
Written by Kaegan Stogsdill
(Edited version)
(Edited version)