February 27, 2000 High Performance Alloys

Volume 3 | Issue 1

Haynes International, Inc., has developed nickel-and cobalt-based alloys that are highly resistant to severe corrosion and high temperature.

Haynes International, an Indiana manufacturer of high-performance alloys, has been making technological history since its start back in 1912. Begun by Elwood Haynes, who, incidentally, is generally credited with having produced one of the first gasoline-powered automobiles in the United States, Haynes Satellite Works, as the company was first known, had as its principal products cobalt-chromium-tungsten metal-cutting tools. Since then, Haynes International has continued to lead the industry in high-performance alloy innovation with a growing list of products that include the industry standard in corrosion-resistant alloys – the Hastelloy® alloy family, and a broad and versatile line of Haynes® and Hastelloy® heat-resistant alloys.

Soon after the company’s inception, the Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation bought it and infused it with the technological know-how to effect an expansion in its product line to include alloys that had uses far beyond those of the limited tool metals previously produced. The company saw continued growth through two world wars, the Great Depression, and today it leads the field in the development and production of high performance alloys used specifically in the aerospace and chemical industries. Equipment that is subject to extremely high temperatures, such as jet engines, gas turbines for power generation, and waste incineration and industrial heating units, needs the quality of Haynes Alloys to last. Corrosion-resistant alloys manufactured by Haynes are crucial in chemical processing, power-plant emissions control, and hazardous waste treatment. Other alloy applications include those in the agrochemical industry, nuclear processes, and biopharmaceutical services.

Metallurgical Expertise

The metallurgical expertise demonstrated by Haynes International, Inc., is remarkable. With over 50 years of product research and development in the high-performance alloy industry, company research has generated, in just the past seven years, seven new proprietary alloys, five of which are protected by United States patents. Other patent applications are pending. Currently, the company maintains a total of 43 United States patents and approximately 180 foreign counterpart patents targeted at countries with significant existing or potential markets for the patented products. Haynes technical marketing support personnel work closely with customers in order to identify, develop,
and support diverse applications for its high-performance alloys.

Of equal importance to the alloy and product developments are the Process Developments that have originated with Haynes. Pioneering work on the use of Argon Oxygen Decarb-urization (AOD) to melt controlled low carbon nickel alloys was done at Haynes in concert with Linde division of Union Carbide. Haynes also pioneered in the Electroslag Remelting (ESR) of nickel-and cobalt-based alloys to improve forgeability and cleanliness.

The Haynes family of heat-resistant alloys have unsurpassed resistance to oxidation, carburization, sulfidation and chlorine attack. When problems involve high temperatures, Haynes has the solution. HR-120® alloy is a high-strength alloy with good resistance to industrial environments. HR-160® alloy offers outstanding resistance to sulfidation and other high-temperature aggressive environments. Haynes’ 214™ alloy has outstanding oxidation resistance to 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit, excellent resistance to carburization and to chlorine environments. Other alloys offer the best balance of strength, thermal stability and thermal cycling resistance. Another alloy, Haynes 242™, is age-hardenable, with excellent strength up to 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit, with low thermal expansion characteristics, good oxidation resistance, and excellent fabricability.

When protection from corrosive environments is required, you can depend on the company that created the Hastelloy® family of alloys to manage corrosion in a wide range of chemicals. Hastelloy B-2 and B-3® alloys were designed for use in strong reducing acid while Hastelloy G-30® alloy provides outstanding resistance to sulfuric, nitric and phosphoric acids and mixed acid solutions containing fluorides. Hastelloy C-22® alloy goes beyond Hastelloy C-276 alloy, the workhorse of the chemical industry, to provide greater resistance to oxidizing media while safeguarding against localized corrosion. The latest innovation, Hastelloy C-2000® alloy, provides the greatest degree of versatility to both oxidizing and reducing media. Hastelloy D-205® alloy exhibits outstanding resistance to hot, concentrated sulfuric acid and other super-oxidizing media. Ultimet® alloy provides a combination of excellent wear and corrosion resistance.

State-of-the-Art Distribution Centers

But the best products in the world are useless if you can’t get them when you need them. Haynes International maintains a network of distributors worldwide. The distribution centers are stocked and staffed, ready to bring unparalleled service to its client base. Product distribution is accomplished primarily through company service centers and distributors in various geographic areas in the United States and abroad. Kokomo, of course, is key, but other American centers include Anaheim, California; Arcadia, Louisiana; Lebanon, Indiana; Houston, Texas; and Windsor, Connecticut. The European distribution facilities are facilities are located Openshaw, England; Pontoise, France; Milano, Italy; and Zurich, Switzerland.

Three Manufacturing Sites

The alloys are manufactured at three separate locations. Bar, billet, wire, remelt materials, plate, sheet, strip, and coil are produced at the Kokomo mill, where over one million square feet of covered factory area is devoted to their production. The facility sits on over 247 acres of Indiana soil. Another site in Arcadia, Louisiana, is devoted to the production of seamless and welded pipe. That smaller facility consists of 125,000 square feet of factory on 47 acres. The third installation is in Openshaw, England, not far from the industrial city of Manchester. There in the western part of the island the company produces bar products on a 14-acre site with 392,000 square feet of manufacturing floor.

Enter the Millennium

Haynes International intends to capitalize on its core competencies well into the twenty-first century. It will actively seek to develop new applications and new market segments for its existing products. The sales force, in coordination with the research and development staff, works closely with the end-users to identify applications for existing products that address customers’ specialized needs. Partnering with clients yields new opportunities for both partners.

Recent expansion has generated new opportunities, as well. In August of 1999, Haynes took over the management of the Stainless & Specialty Steels Division of Republic Technologies International. The recent alliance will refocus the company’s attention of specialty products. It will now offer enhanced capabilities and greater market diversity of highly specialized metals to serve its customers better.

Haynes International is Y2K compliant. Its IBM mainframe and IBM System/36, used in the primary business system, is being replaced by IBM AS/400 equipment and an enterprise-level software package called BPCS ™, by System Software and Associates, also Y2K compliant. In addition, a separate ongoing initiative is underway to evaluate other small, stand-alone computer systems, data collection systems, test equipment, and process control devices used throughout the company. These systems will be either updated or replaced.

Haynes International, Inc., invests millions into research and development, testing, and quality control. It provides some of the best technical data and documentation in the industry. That practice will not change. Haynes International will continue to solve the problems of its customers with solutions that work.

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