The selection of material is never due to a chance in the industry. During the design phase, the characteristics of the materials must be carefully studied and fixed to avoid any complications.

This is even truer when it comes to choosing a material for a tube. Certain tubes are subjected to strong mechanical, thermal or even chemical stresses. The material from which the tube was made will have an influence on all manufacturing operations, including machining operations. The machinability of a tube depends directly on the material in which it was made. For each material, special precautions must be taken to guarantee quality machining. Machining is a common operation when preparing for welding.

Duplex steel

A Duplex stainless steel consists of a chrome stainless steel and addition of nickel. This alloy has been designed to provide corrosion resistance and tensile strength. Duplex steel pipes are widely used in oil and gas exploitation on offshore sites where pipelines are subjected to high pressure and saline environment. This type of Inconel Valves tube is also found in industries using chlorinated products or acids such as chemical or pharmaceutical industries. In recent years, more highly alloyed Duplex steels have appeared under the names Super-Duplex or Hyper-Duplex.

Stainless steel

Stainless steels are made of iron and carbon, just like standard steels, to which chromium is added which beyond a certain proportion (10.5%) allows the formation of a chromium oxide layer. Other elements can be added to improve the mechanical strength (Nickel) or the high-temperature resistance (Molybdenum, Titanium, Vanadium, Tungsten).

Although at a higher cost than standard steel tubes, stainless steel tubes are widely used in a large number of industries such as the chemical, petroleum, pharmaceutical, agri-food, aeronautics, shipbuilding industries, etc.

Indeed, their resistance to corrosion and their chemical stability make it possible to use these Inconel 600 Tube for fluids which must not be contaminated, such as those used in the pharmaceutical industry or the food industry or corrosive fluids as the found especially in the chemical industry.

A high proportion of chromium, nickel or titanium will make machining more difficult while elements such as carbon or sulfur will facilitate machining.

The cutting edge must be sharp to promote the detachment of the material and reduce cutting forces.

Superalloys

The Superalloys used in the manufacture of tubes are mostly part of the range of Nickel base superalloys. In this family, we find Inconel or Austenite, which are names coming from the manufacturer of the alloy.

The base of the alloy is, therefore, nickel which can be alloyed with chromium, iron, titanium or aluminium. These alloys have the same advantages as stainless steels but in a more significant way. Indeed, their heat resistance is higher (around 900 ° C) as is their resistance to corrosion (chlorine ion corrosion, pure and acid water).

Nickel-based superalloy Inconel 625 Tube is used in aeronautics (in combustion chambers for example), in the chemical industry for their resistance to corrosion, in nuclear engineering and to a lesser extent in the food industry.