Alloy 602CA: The King of High Temperature Performance for Extreme Industrial Applications

Alloy 602CA is a high-performance alloy of nickel, chromium, iron, aluminum, and carbon that is used in a wide range of industrial applications for its exceptional performance at extreme temperatures. The alloy remains stable in extreme environments up to 2,250°F (1,232°C), demonstrating excellent resistance to oxidation, oxidative flaking, and high-temperature creep. In addition to these outstanding properties, Alloy 602CA is used for its superior mechanical strength and long-lasting durability in a wide variety of demanding applications such as radiant tubes, flame traps and furnaces for austenitizing heat treatments of tool steels, which often operate at temperatures as high as 1,204° F. RA 602 CA® is available in a wide range of forms, including sheet, plate and round bar, giving customers greater flexibility in the design and manufacture of their products. greater flexibility in design and manufacture, ensuring reliability and longevity in a wide range of high temperature environments. Because of this, Alloy 602CA has become an indispensable material choice for many extreme operating environments.

MTSCO has successfully supplied it twice in the last two years. No other company in China has been able to achieve this specifification befofore.

MTSCO overcame the material's extreme susceptibility to cracking by adding multiple cold rolling passes to ensure the final product was rollable.

In terms of performance, Alloy 602CA exhibits:

Excellent high-temperature creep performance

Excellent fatigue strength, in both high cycle fatigue and low cycle fatigue modes

Superior oxidation resistance at elevated temperatures and cycling conditions

Chemical composition:

The superior performance of alloy 602CA stems from the unique combination of its components. The combination of chromium, aluminum and carbon, along with micro-alloying of zirconium, titanium and yttrium, results in an alloy that performs well at elevated temperatures. Chromium (approximately 25%) plays a major role in the alloy as an antioxidant, and in combination with carbon, forms Cr23C6 carbides that enhance the alloy's hardness and wear resistance and help to inhibit grain growth, resulting in improved high-temperature strength and creep resistance. Aluminum (at approximately 2.0%) forms a continuous alumina layer on the alloy surface, which is self-healing and significantly enhances resistance to oxidation, carburization and metal dusting. Carbon forms Cr23C6 carbides with chromium and combines with titanium and zirconium to form fine carbide particles that further enhance the strength and creep properties of the alloy.

In addition, zirconium and titanium inhibit grain growth through the formation of fine carbide particles, improving the stability and creep resistance of the alloy at elevated temperatures. Yttrium, as an active element, enhances the adhesion and resistance to spalling of the oxide layer, making the surface aluminum oxide layer more stable and durable, further improving the alloy's oxidation resistance. The synergistic effect of these elements enables Alloy 602CA to maintain excellent performance in extreme high temperature environments.