Material properties of Brush Alloy 25 suit ball valve components

Materials

Material properties of Brush Alloy 25 suit ball valve components

Keywords Alloys,Brush Wellman, Valves

Valve components for use in aggressive environments must be manufactured from specialist materials in order to cope with the demanding conditions. Copper-beryllium Brush Alloy 25 supplied by Brush Wellman claims an unusual combination of properties which make it well suited to such applications. A low coefficient of friction and good galling resistance enable the components to operate together without a risk of metal to metal "pick-up" and ensure a long working life.

Copper-beryllium reportedly has a remarkably low modulus of elasticity for its strength, which means that it has resilience. The result is said to be that contact surfaces will deform slightly in order to give a good seal. Another advantage claimed of using copper-beryllium is that heat treatment can be used to precipitation harden the alloy so that the strength can be fine-tuned to suit the application. Brush Wellman can pre-treat the alloy and supply it in the strength required.

To produce the ball valve with a sufficiently smooth surface finish and at a reasonable cost requires good machinability. According to Brush Wellman, although copper-beryllium has some properties similar to other exotic alloys such as inconel, monel and high-grade stainless steels. the machinability is much better.

Details: Brush Wellman Limited, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 118 930 3733; Fax: +44 (0) 118 930 3635.