Precipitation Hardening (PH) Stainless Steel
Centrifugally cast PH steel offers material properties that have lasting strength and corrosion resistance at a lower cost
Applications that require corrosion or oxidation resistance and need a metal material that holds its strength at elevated temperatures benefit from Precipitation Hardening (PH) steel.
A top-tier centrifugal casting foundry like Spuncast produces high-quality, easily repeatable PH steel products. And our PH steel tubes will meet the specs of the most demanding industries.
PH steel products have distinct advantages
PH steel contains chromium content at relatively high levels, which is what imparts remarkable resistance to corrosion and heat.
It is also a highly sought after metal because of its
- High tensile strength
- Increased hardness
- Resistance to distortion
- Oxidation resistance
Casting PH steel to match your specs and industry standards
Spuncast centrifugal cast PH steels equates to the following industry standards:
| Industry Standards* | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASTM Standard | A 747 AMS 5398 | A 747 AMS 5348 |
||
| UNS | J92180 | J92110 | ||
| Similar DIN | 1.4542 | |||
| Spuncast Alloys | CB7Cu-1 | CB7Cu-2 | ||
| Similar Alloy | 17-4PH | 15-5PH | ||
| Chemical Specifications | ||||
| Carbon max | 0.07 | 0.07 | ||
| Manganese max | 0.7 | 0.7 | ||
| Silicon max | 1 | 1 | ||
| Phosphorus max | 0.035 | 0.035 | ||
| Sulfur max | 0.035 | 0.03 | ||
| Chromium | 15.50- 17.70 | 14.0- 15.50 |
||
| Nickel | 3.60-4.60 | 4.50-5.50 | ||
| Mechanical Properties | ||||
| Tensile (min) - KSI (MPa) | 170(1170) | 145(1000) | 125(860) | Heat treatments and physical properties same as CB7Cu-1 |
| Yield (min) - KSI (MPa) | 145(1000) | |||
| Elongation (2" min) | 0.05 | 0.09 | 0.1 | |
| Brinell Hardness (10mm - 3000Kg -) Typical Values | 375 min | 277 min | 269 min | |
| Density lbs/in | 0.28 | |||
| Heat Treatment | (H-900) | (H1075) | (H1150) |
Spuncast Centrifugal Casting Matches Forged 17-4 PH Steel Specs But at a Lower Cost
We compared the performance of Spuncast PH steel material samples to the required specifications from a competitor’s forged 17-4 PH steel material.
The study showed in most cases, you can replace forged PH steel with centrifugally cast PH steel without any issues as long as the design is reconsidered to suit the process. The parts produced typically will be at a lower cost as well with the centrifugal casting process.
Competitor’s PH Steel Part Specification Requirements
Mechanical Property Requirements – UNS S17400, H1025, ASTM A564
UTS – | 1070MPa, 155ksi |
Yield (0.2%) – | 1000MPa, 145ksi |
Hardness – | 331 HB, 35 HRC |
Elongation – | 12% |
Impact Prop. – | 20 J / 15 ft.lbf (at 20 0F) |
Spuncast’s PH Steel Part Specification Comparison
Using three PH steel sample castings from the Spuncast Foundry, our metallurgist documented the following results:
The benefits of secondary processes to your PH steel
The quality of a PH steel cast product is further enhanced by using the appropriate secondary processes. It’s a material that can quickly develop high strength with simple heat treatments.
Heat Treating
Heat treating improves the PH steel’s strength, hardness, toughness, and corrosion resistance. Your metallurgist will select the most appropriate heat treatment for your material. Spuncast offers the following heat treatments:
- Quenching and tempering to create better balance and stability.
- Annealing for restoring ductility and allowing additional processing without cracking.
- Normalizing to provide uniformity and a fine-grained structure.
- Stress Relief to reduce the risk of unintended dimensional changes.
CNC Machining
Once cast, a PH steel product can be machined to quickly and selectively remove unneeded metal. CNC machining is a finishing process that works especially well with PH steel in a centrifugal casting environment because it:
- Requires fewer steps to deliver far more complexity
- Creates highly repeatable components accurately
- Adds improved performance to the design
- Eliminates unnecessary waste
Typical PH Steel Applications
The industries that request PH steel are looking for a material that offers a high degree of corrosion resistance. And they need a part that can hold up to extreme amounts of stress to meet the needs required for applications like:
Applications typically include:
Gears | Need to be lightweight with high strength and no distortions |
Valves, and other engine components | Endure speed and pressure differences which require high tensile strength |
High strength shafts | Undergo extreme tension from both vehicle weight and weather |
Turbine blades | Demands a high degree of durability to withstand tremendous tensile stress |
Spuncast PH Steel
Spuncast centrifugal casting processes have a long history of creating premium tubes using a wide variety of stainless steel. That includes 17-4 ph stainless steel equivalent ones that are known to offer accurate dimensions, and a smooth surface finish consistently.
Our team is skilled at producing custom PH steel castings for industries like oil & gas, water treatment, energy and power generation, food processing, and defense.
FAQ
A: PH stands for Precipitation Hardening (PH), a heat treatment used to increase the yield strength and produce excellent high-temperature strength in super alloys.
A: A forged 17-4 PH stainless steel has an average hardness of 352 HB. The cast equivalent of 17-4 PH stainless steel yields a hardness of 331 HB, 35 HRC.
A: It’s a material containing chromium content at relatively high levels, which means it has a remarkable resistance to corrosion and heat.
Secondary heat treatments further improve the PH steel’s strength, hardness, toughness, and corrosion resistance.
Take the Spuncast Challenge
We’re up to the challenge of meeting your specs and beating the competition on overall costs.
Send us the specs and application needs on your next project requiring PH steel. We’ll provide a quote and full metallurgical makeup to show how we can produce a stronger, more cost-effective tube for your part.