Latrobe Specialty Steel Reintroduces LS-A286 to Expanded Markets
09/10/2009 - In addition to applications in the energy and aerospace fastener markets, Latrobe Specialty Steel anticipates expanding interest from the gas turbine and supercharger supply chains. It also foresees LS-A286 in high-strength nonmagnetic and cryogenic applications.
Latrobe Specialty Steel reintroduced its aerospace grade LS-A286 vacuum remelted stainless steel superalloy to aircraft fastener and turbine engine supply chains.
In addition to applications in the energy and aerospace fastener markets, Latrobe Specialty Steel anticipates expanding interest from the gas turbine and supercharger supply chains. It also foresees LS-A286 in high-strength nonmagnetic and cryogenic applications.
LS-A286 is made in vacuum remelted and double-vacuum melted forms for a range of shapes and sizes. For both variations, LS-A286 starts in the electric arc furnace and then the argon oxygen decarburization unit for initial refinement. From there, it may move directly to the vacuum arc remelting furnace or to one of the company's two 30-ton Vacuum Induction Melting (VIM) furnaces. After processing in the VIM, LS-A286 is vacuum arc remelted, which produces a cleaner alloy with fewer inclusions.
"We reintroduced and enhanced LS-A286 to give our customers higher-strength material with excellent corrosion resistance and outstanding stress rupture performance,” said Robert F. Buck, Manager of Product and Process Innovation. “Customers appreciate that they can use LS-A286 at temperatures up to 1300°F. They also like the creep strength or the ability to endure constant stress at relatively high temperature of LS-A286.”
The company last offered LS-A286 in the early 1970s. “Our processes have become more precise, more predictable, and more closely controlled” since then, Buck said.
Specialty Steel Supply (Houston, Texas), a wholly owned subsidiary of Latrobe Specialty Steel, will stock popular bar sizes of LS-A286 meeting specifications of oil/gas and aerospace sectors.
Latrobe Specialty Steel, headquartered in Latrobe, Pa., has been in business in the same location since 1913 and has supplied the aerospace and defense sectors since 1958. The firm employs approximately 900 people.
