Materials Q&A

The Materials That Make Up Valves

EDITOR’S NOTE: Materials used in the manufacture of valves and how they perform in different applications is a topic of huge interest to everyone who works with valves. Bray recently held a seminar on Valve Materials. Below are some of the questions asked by the webinar viewers with answers provided by Stan Allen, global director of valve application engineering, Bray International, Inc., who was the featured speaker.

Welding Specifications Issues

Q: I need to qualify a welding procedure specification per the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code. Given that Section IX of that code provides qualification requirements for welding, brazing and plastic fusing (joining processes), what are some of the basics I need to understand?

3D Printing Materials

Q: 3D printing and additive manufacturing have become buzz words in various industries, but what do they mean in the context of valves, and what materials are involved?

Elastomer and Plastic Materials

Q: What is the difference between plastic and elastomer?

A common misconception is that the terms polymer, elastomer (rubber) and plastic are interchangeable. Although they have commonality, they are not necessarily synonymous with each other.

Passivation and Pickling

Q: I have customers that ask for their stainless-steel valves to be pickled and I have others who ask for them to be passivated. Some customers ask for both treatments to be performed. Why do customers want these treatments? What are the differences between the two? Is it advantageous to perform both treatments on the same part?