The Heat Treat Doctor

Daniel H. Herring | 630-834-3017 | heattreatdoctor@industrialheating.com

Heat-Resistant Materials: Alloy Systems

dapting to change is a basic human trait, but in the world

of heat treating, we often need a gentle push to help
move us forward. In the immortal words of Bob Dylan,
The Times They Are a Changin, and when it comes
to heat-resistant alloys, we must adapt to compete. Lets learn more.
The family of heat-resistant alloys represented by cast HT and its close
cousins (e.g., HK, HU) as well as their wrought equivalents (e.g., 330) are
to the heat treater what motherhood and apple
pie is to our society as a whole sacred cows!
Weve used these alloys for so long that we often
dont look to see if something better has arrived.
Yet newer alloys and alloy systems are available that offer unique advantages with surprisingly competitive paybacks. While time (and
space) prohibits us from addressing this subject
in great depth, one example of a more advanced
alloy system will suffice to make our point.

602 CA Alloy[1]
602 CA is a wrought material developed by VDM and distributed in
the U.S. under the designation RA 602 CA. Inspired by aerospace
coatings applied to turbine blades, this product is a nickel-based alloy
that employs a high chromium content along with aluminum and
yttrium additions that produce a tightly adherent oxide, allowing the
alloy to operate at temperatures in excess of 1230C (2250F). The
alloy is extremely resistant to grain growth at high temperatures and
is resistant to carburization. The aluminum in the alloy allows for the
formation of a continuous, homogenous and self-repairing alumina
subscale, while the yttrium improves the adhesion and spalling
resistance of the chromium- and aluminum-oxide scales.[2]
Creep and Rupture Properties
This alloy also has excellent creep-rupture properties. Creep and rupture strength (Tables 1-2) are important benchmarks in determining
the life expectancy of high-temperature alloys.[3]
Carburization Resistance
The tenacious oxide layer present on this alloy is also responsible for its
excellent carburization resistance (Table 3) in a heat-treat atmosphere
at a 0.80% carbon potential. The data shows that this alloy is significantly more resistant to carburization than typical austenitic alloys
and Inconel. Carburization leads to embrittlement/cracking, and alloys
that are more resistant will retain their ductility longer.
Grain Growth
A common concern involving components exposed to extremely
high temperatures for long periods of time is (brittle) fracture. At
24 September 2013 - IndustrialHeating.com

Table 1. Total creep strength for indicated strain rate

Temperature,
C (F)

Creep strength,
MPa (psi)

Creep strength,
MPa (psi)

0.0001%

0.00001%

650 (1200)

184.8 (26,800)

120.0 (17,405)

705 (1300)

127.5 (18,500)

80.0 (11,550)

760 (1400)

65.0 (9,427)

37.0 (5,366)

815 (1500)

29.0 (4,210)

13.3 (1,925)

870 (1600)

16.5 (2,390)

8.9 (1,291)

930 (1700)

10.3 (1,490)

6.3 (915)

980 (1800)

6.8 (980)

3.9 (555)

1040 (1900)

4.0 (585)

2.2 (312)

1095 (2000)

2.3 (330)

1.03 (152)

1150 (2100)

1.0 (145)

0.40 (58)

Table 2. Rupture strength to break at indicated time [4]

Temperature,
C (F)

Rupture strength,
MPa (psi)

Rupture strength,
MPa (psi)

1% in 10,000 hours

1% in 100,000 hours

650 (1200)

215.0 (31,180)

165.0 (23,931)

705 (1300)

149.6 (21,700)

94.0 (13,750)

760 (1400)

78.0 (11,310)

40.0 (5,802)

815 (1500)

33.8 (4,900)

17.1 (2,450)

870 (1600)

22.5 (3,260)

12.2 (1,769)

930 (1700)

15.4 (2,230)

8.0 (1,160)

980 (1800)

10.1 (1,460)

5.1 (735)

1040 (1900)

6.8 (980)

3.3 (479)

1095 (2000)

4.5 (655)

2.1 (311)

1150 (2100)

3.0 (435)

1.4 (203)

Table 3. Weight change (mg/m2h) for cyclic carburization

data in CH4/H2 atmosphere, Ac = 0.80%. [4]
Temperature,
C (F)

850
(1562)

1000
(1832)

1150
(2102)

310

130

305

----

800AT

143

339

813

600

50

190

626

601

64

170

508

RA 602 CA

13

70

175

temperatures exceeding the annealing temperature of a

heat-resistant alloy, grain growth can be expected (Table 4)
and leads to loss of ductility. RA 602 CA shows no appreciable
grain growth.

Table 4. Effect of time on ASTM grain size for various alloys at 1120C (2050F) for 990 hrs. [2]
Time (hour)

24

72

184

344

510

670

830

990

6.5

6.5

6.5

6.5

6.5

6.5

ASTM Grain Size

RA 602 CA
601

7
5

1.5

00

00

00

5.5

5.5

3.5

3.5

2.5

RA330

3.5

3.5

2.5

1.5

RA333

2.5

600

00

00

00

00

601 GC

Metal Dusting
(aka Catastrophic Carburization)
Metal dusting is a form of carburization at
relatively low temperatures that leads to
rapid, catastrophic corrosion of heat-resistant alloys. For years, RA333 has been
an excellent choice to negate these effects,
but availability in some forms in recent
years has limited its use. RA 602 CA has
also proven superior in resisting the effects
of metal dusting due to its chemistry additions.
Weldability/Formability
RA 602 CA is weldable by GTAW,
GMAW, SMAW and PAW. Proper selection of shielding gases is critical. Shielding gases (or electrode coatings in the case
of SMAW) are dependent on the welding
process. Welding guidelines are available
from the supplier, including welding instructions for dissimilar metals.
This alloy may be hot worked in the
900-1200C (1650-2190F) range and immediately quenched in water, but it should
not be formed between 595-815C (11001500F). Heating must be done in a tightly
temperature-controlled furnace and a neutral to slightly oxidizing atmosphere. Fluctuating between an oxidizing and reducing atmosphere must be avoided. Natural
gas should not contain more than 0.5%
sulfur or 0.1% by weight of fuel oil. Never
use a torch to heat the material because
this will often lead to cracking.
The high carbon content (0.15-0.25%)
in the material causes rapid work hardening. Components made from this alloy may
be bent 120 degrees around a radius equal
to three times the material thickness (3T)
26 September 2013 - IndustrialHeating.com

for material up to 0.4-inch thick. As with

all nickel alloys, the shear drag (burr) must
be removed to prevent crack initiation.
Typical Heat-Treat Applications
RA 602 CA is used for many applications,
including radiant tubes, furnace rolls,
muffles, retorts, atmosphere and vacuum
furnace fixtures, and grids to name a few.
One steel mill has reported using this
alloy for slab reheat furnace rolls at temperatures of 1250C (2280F) for over
two years. The key to success is the high
creep strength imparted by the carbon
content and the constant rolling motion that prevents stresses from the slab
weight from being concentrated on any
particular point.
Radiant tubes (Fig. 1) fabricated from
this alloy are an alternative to cast tubes
with, in general, a significant weight reduction. For example, an 8 mm (5/16
inches) thick cast tube can be made from
3-mm (11-gauge) sheet. When firing continuously in the working zones of continuous or high-production batch furnaces,
significant energy savings can be achieved
from the lower mass, which in turn allows more of the heat generated to be used
for heating material instead of keeping
equilibrium in the tube. It also allows for
lower firing temperatures because there is
a smaller gradient across the tube due to
the section thickness. Exact savings will
be reliant on furnace condition, insulation integrity and operating conditions
but should be 10% or more depending on
the thickness reduction.
Lightweight rod-mesh baskets and liners are being fabricated from this alloy to

Fig. 1. RA 602 CA radiant tubes after one

year of service

take advantage of its higher creep strength,

resistance to grain growth and retention
of ductility. The result is improved basket
life and fewer issues when straightening of
baskets is required. It has been reported
that high-pressure gas quenching of highspeed tool steels hardened at temperatures
in excess of 1065C (1950F) allows for a
weight reduction of up to 10%.
Low-pressure vacuum carburizing is another example of where alloy 602 CA is
making inroads. The aluminum content
allows for retention of the alloys oxide
layer, while more traditional alloys (such
as Inconel 600, 601 and RA330) lose their
protective chromium and/or silicon oxides.[5]
Summing Up
Alloy 602 CA is one example of a family
of new high-temperature alloys available
from a multitude of suppliers that are increasingly being used in the heat-treat industry. There are many other applications
for these alloys throughout the thermalprocessing industry as both cost-effective
alternatives to more traditional wrought
alloys or as substitutes for cast alloys in
high-temperature applications. As a heat
treater, it is worth the time and effort to
investigate and use this new generation of
materials. IH
References available online