Alloying is the process of combining one or more pure metals with other elements to impart certain properties into the new material. Alloys are usually stronger, harder-wearing and more corrosion resistant than pure metals.
Some of the most common alloys you encounter every day are brass, carbon steel and bronze.
A corrosion-resistant alloy is an alloy specifically designed to resist corrosion when exposed to harsh environments, such as salt water, acid and brackish water.
These alloys are formulated to have specific properties that make them resistant to corrosion. Typically, chromium, nickel, or other alloying elements that form a passive oxide layer, are used.
The process of alloying prevents corrosion by combining the properties of different metals which interact with each other to form a protective layer over the surface of the alloy. This layer limits oxygen, air and moisture getting past the top surface of the metal and penetrating deeper into the internal structure.
Copper Alloys currently produce non-standard metals for critical engineering applications around the world. We melt, forge, machine and produce non-standard metals to be used in a variety of harsh environments and for several applications.
Our range of Elite Alloys are some of the highest performing alloys in their respective categories, providing corrosion resistance, high strength and resistance to wear, meaning they perform under high-stress situations.
The Elite Alloys are split into three distinct groups to serve three different usages:
Elite Thermal
Elite Marine
Elite Bearing
This group of high-performing alloys benefit from a blend of unique properties, making them ideal for equipment that requires high strength and high conductivity. They have been formulated by our renowned metallurgists, designed to give an advantage to engineers working in extreme environments.
You can improve both performance and service life by using these alloys, leading to significant cost advantages in oilfield exploration and processing, moulding applications, fine measurement tooling, and other applications where you need high wear resistance and conductivity.
These corrosion resistant alloys are strengthened by both solid solution and precipitation mechanisms. Our deep understanding of metallurgy and direct control of our processes allows us to create properties in our alloys that are unavailable elsewhere.
This group of top-of-the-range alloys has a wide spectrum of mechanical properties, ensuring that they can be used to satisfy a range of demands.
Available in extreme fracture toughness combined with high strength, through to extreme tensile strength and hardness, our corrosion resistant alloys can be used for a variety of applications.
Due to the extremely low corrosion rate and immunity to preferential phase attack, these materials are ideally suited for critical marine applications, out-performing materials such as nickel aluminium bronze and cupro-nickel alloys.
We have two types of elite load-bearing alloys – self-lubricating and long-wearing.
Our self-lubricating alloys have exceptionally high mechanical strength, three times the industry standard. This makes them a top choice for load capacity and resistance to wear.
The range of long-wearing alloys we developed was originally designed for military aerospace bearings. Demand for this propriety technology then enabled us to roll out the extremely wear-resistant alloy to other industries.
There are several reasons why your business would benefit from using Elite Alloys. These include:
- Longer life span compared to standard alloys
- Reduced maintenance time and costs
- Higher quality performance
- Maximised efficiency of part processes
Discover all of our high-performing alloys
The Elite Alloys range contains seven different alloys that are designed for different usages in mind. Below are three of the top performers:
T1000E (Enhanced)
This extreme strength Copper-Nickel-Aluminium alloy has the highest strength and hardness amongst our marine alloys.
It is highly resistant to wear, has a low magnetic permeability, resists galling against stainless steel and does not suffer from biofouling or hydrogen embrittlement.
This alloy is one of the strongest copper-based alloys available anywhere in the world.
Learn more about T1000E
Freerun SL-350
This self-lubricating alloy has a high mechanical strength, up to three times the industry standards.
The Copper-Lead-Tin alloy has an ability to sustain high load and is anti-galling.
Easily machinable and mouldable, this alloy has excellent corrosion and wear resistance, making it perfect for use in extreme environments where lubrication is difficult.
Learn more about Freerun SL-350
Thermalloy C-800
This Copper-Nickel-Chromium-Silicon alloy was originally developed for the aerospace industry, but its corrosion-resistance and the fact it’s immune to hydrogen embrittlement lent itself to be used in marine applications also.
The alloy can also be used at sub-zero temperatures where it does not suffer with embrittlement as many steels do.
It can be used to manufacture industrial components that encounter non-oxidising acids and salt solutions.
Learn more about Thermalloy C-800