Overview

Stellite alloy is a superalloy with cobalt and chromium as the main elements. It has very good high temperature performance and corrosion resistance. However, its most widely known advantage is its wear resistance. Stellite alloys are often strengthened by carbides. Compared to nickel alloys, Stellite alloys can work well at higher temperatures.

Like other alloys, Stellite alloys come in many different grades. In this article, we will introduce various Stellite alloy grades in the simplest language. I believe that by reading, you can have a more comprehensive understanding of this kind of alloy.

Stellite Grades / Types

Stellite 1

The carbon content of Stellite 1 is very high, which results in its excellent wear resistance. Stellite 1's wear resistance and high hardness make it very difficult to machine. Therefore, this alloy often needs to be processed by grinding. Stellite 1 is suitable for applications such as wear pads, rotating seal rings, pump sleeves, secondary impeller screws and bearing sleeves.

Stellite 3

Stellite 3 is the cast version of Stellite 1. Therefore, its chemical composition is very similar to Stellite 1. It also has excellent wear resistance and very high hardness. It maintains extremely high hardness at a temperature of 760°C. Stellite 3 has tighter controls on silicon and manganese content to improve casting performance.

Stellite 4

Compared to Stellite 3, Stellite 4 has reduced carbon content. In contrast, Stellite 4 has a fairly high tungsten content. The addition of tungsten increases the wear resistance and hardness of the alloy to a certain extent, thus making up for the reduction in carbon content. At the same time, the addition of tungsten also improves the corrosion resistance of Stellite 4. Stellite 4 is relatively brittle and requires care when processing.

Stellite 6

Stellite 6 is based on Stellite 4 with a reduced tungsten content. This significantly improves the brittleness of the alloy. Therefore, Stellite 6 is an alloy with very balanced properties. This is why Stellite 6 is the most widely used Stellite alloy. While Stellite 6 is easy to machine, it is also very easy to weld.

Stellite 6B

Stellite 6B is a variant of Stellite 6. It can use hot working and heat treatment to make the material have higher plasticity than Stellite 6. The performance of Stellite 6B takes into account wear resistance, hardness, plasticity, brittleness, etc., and is suitable for various harsh application scenarios.

Stellite 6K

Stellite 6K is also a variant of Stellite 6. Of course, its performance is also very similar to Stellite 6B. However, Stellite 6K has a higher carbon content, making it less malleable, making it better suited for cutting or scraping applications like making knives.

Stellite 12

The carbon and tungsten content of Stellite 12 is between Stellite 3 and Stellite 6. Therefore, its performance is also somewhere in between. This makes it work better in some niche applications. For example, the timber industry and beverage industry.

Stellite 19

Stellite 19's performance falls between Stellite 12 and Stellite 3. It is suitable for more segmented application areas. It is in relatively low demand.

Stellite 20

Stellite 20 is the most wear-resistant of all Stellite alloys. It has the highest carbon and tungsten content. It takes the characteristics of Stellite alloy to the extreme and is suitable for extreme wear resistance requirements. However, its impact resistance is relatively weak and requires special attention.

Stellite 21

Stellite 21 has a relatively low carbon content. At the same time, it does not contain tungsten. This results in its wear resistance being weaker among the Stellite series alloys. However, it has a very high cobalt content, which greatly increases its high temperature resistance. At the same time, the addition of molybdenum also well complements the corrosion resistance of the alloy.

Stellite 31

Stellite 31 has better wear resistance than Stellite 21. Its tungsten content also increases corrosion resistance to a certain extent. The addition of nickel makes it have excellent high temperature resistance. Due to its high temperature properties, Stelllite 31 is commonly used in gas turbine engines as well as furnace work tools.

Stellite 190

Stellite 190 is an alloy with extremely high wear resistance. Its wear resistance is even better than Stellite 20. However, due to the very high carbon content, it sacrifices corrosion resistance to a certain extent. Stellite 190 can only be machined by grinding.

Stellite 694

Stellite 694 is harder than Stellite 31. Its extremely high tungsten content makes its matrix very strong, so only a small amount of carbon is needed to achieve relatively good mechanical properties. A certain amount of nickel improves the high-temperature properties of the alloy.

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