Did you know that the word cobalt comes from the German kobold meaning "goblin?"
 Because cobalt and cobalt alloys behavior is similar to nickel, in that both form a complete sequence of solid solutions with iron at high-temperatures and are extremely soluble in ferrite, cobalt bearing alloys have a few rather specialized uses. It can be a useful ferrite strengthener-as cobalt's solid solution strengthening properties persist even at high temperatures. Cobalt alloys are found in a variety of high-speed steel grades.
Like the nickel, generally culled from nearby nines, cobalt is ferromagnetic. A much sought after property that has led to its widespread use in the popular Alnico alloys as well as in a series of magnetic steels. Cobalt is also a primary constituent of a number of ultra-high strength steel alloys, is added to one grade of austenitic stainless steel and the 18% Ni maraging steels.
Cobalt and its associated alloys are capable of absorbing stresses to higher absolute temperatures than most other metals. Cobalt and cobalt alloys are also known for their superior thermal fatigue resistance and can therefore be welded or used in electroplating.
Because the use of cobalt makes exceptionally high cleanliness standards possible about 25% of the cobalt produced in here in the U.S. (Note: The U. S. does not have a self-sufficient supply of cobalt) forms the basis of a popular family of corrosion-resistant super alloys.
These cobalt based "super-alloys" are particularly popular with designers and engineers working in the both the commercial and the military sectors of the aerospace industry. In fact, in the United States alone, aerospace projects account for 69% of superalloy usage.
Cobalt Supply Issues
Despite the fact that there are large cobalt reserves known to exist worldwide the metal has often been in short supply-even to the point of occasionally having teetered near allocation. Political unrest in Central and Southern Africa (most notably the perpetually crisis torn "Democratic Republic" of Congo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) as well as labor disruptions in the affiliated nickel production sector have been the primary contributors to those unfortunate cyclic cobalt supply disruptions.
On the bright side, the ratcheting up of cobalt mining operations in Russian, China, Australia, Finland, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and most notably in Cobalt, Ontario (where it is produced as a byproduct of silver mining) is increasingly having a stabilizing effect on the market.
Cobalt and its Associated Alloys Meet the Compositional Standards of:
- The Unified Numbering System (UNS)
- The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
- The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
- The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI)
- The Aluminum Association (AA).
- The European Norm (EN) and,
- The U.S. military specifications (MIL-SPEC).
Our Cobalt Alloy Specialists Are Ready to Help!
By helping to armor your machines and machine tools against the debilitating effects of high heat, abrasion, corrosion, impacts and galling-the cobalt alloys available from Charter Trading LTD will prolong the life of parts and restore ageing machines. The proper usage of cobalt alloys will lower your replacement costs, decrease plant downtime, increase plant productivity and more.
All you need to do is dial 773-638-2300 or email one of our Cobalt Alloy Specialists for more info. |
