Highly corrosive environments have met their match with a new family of alloys developed by a team led by Mike Brady of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Materials Science and Technology Division. Alumina-forming austenitic, dubbed AFA, stainless steels boast an increased upper-temperature oxidation, or corrosion, limit that is 100 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit higher than that of conventional stainless steels. The new alloys deliver this superior oxidation resistance with high-temperature strengths approaching that of far more expensive nickel-base alloys without sacrificing the typical lower cost, formability and weldability of conventional stainless steels. Collaborative efforts have begun with the private sector to evaluate AFA alloys for applications ranging from gas turbines to advanced fossil-fired steam plants and chemical and process industry equipment. Funding for this research was provided by the Department of Energy's Fossil Energy Advanced Research Materials Program and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
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