Over the past 85 years, Langley Alloys has built a strong reputation as a well-respected, high-performance stainless steel and alloy specialist, as well as expert stockist. With a particular focus on duplex, super duplex, and nickel alloys, Ferralium 255 plays a major role in the company’s history and continues to be used extensively today.
Stainless Steel World Americas had the pleasure of speaking with Rodney Rice, Director, to discuss Langley Alloys’ Ferralium 255 legacy and metallurgical expertise, the company’s expansion into the United States and growth in global reach.
By KCI Editorial
Langley Alloys’ strong industry reputation lies in the ability of its products to withstand the harshest of conditions, whether it is for subsea systems at great depths, oil & gas industry components operating under intense pressures, or the aggressive environments found within modern chemical plants. There is no better product to demonstrate this reputation than super duplex stainless steel.
Company Highlights
1940s Occasional exports from the company’s original UK facilities
1970s Ferralium 255 licensed to Haynes International for production in the U.S.
2010 Acquisition of National Metal Distributors, located in Vancouver, Washington, who specialized in high-performance stainless steels, particularly super duplex plates
2012 Opening of sales office in Houston, Texas
2013 Opening of distribution facility in nearby Conroe, Texas
2021 Consolidation of operations onto a larger single site in Conroe, Texas
Today’s business emerged in the late 2000s as a focused distributor of high-performance alloys. The company still retains ownership of the trademarks, patents, and the technical know-how that serves as the foundation of Ferralium and several other unique alloys.
The Introduction of Super Duplex Stainless Steel
The origin of Ferralium as the first super duplex stainless steel (SDSS) dates back to its original registration by Langley Alloys, followed by a patent application in 1967. The application, which was given the non-descript title “Improvement in Stainless Steels”, described the issues facing this family of alloys at that time and delineated prospective solutions. Austenitic stainless steels were well-accepted in the market, with good corrosion resistance provided by their relatively high chromium and nickel content, though their tensile properties were generally low. In comparison, various martensitic (precipitation hardening) grades could achieve much higher strengths through heat treatment, but with lesser corrosion resistance. Rather than viewing a mixed austenitic/ferritic microstructure as a problem, the patent turned that feature into a virtue.
Ferralium was first utilized in 1969 when the developmental ‘Langalloy 40V’ product was branded. Competing super duplex alloys were subsequently developed and a similar trademarking approach adopted.
The company has a long heritage of material development, holding several original trademarked products which are still relevant today. “We make a brisk trade in these grades, which today are often utilized for different applications than those for which they were initially developed,” said Rice.
A little-known fact is that throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s, Haynes International produced Ferralium 255 under license from Langley Alloys and supplied these bars for the refurbishment of the Statue of Liberty statue. Although Haynes no longer produces Ferralium 255, the work the company undertook in promoting the virtues of this unique alloy still persists.
Overcoming Weldability Concerns
Despite the excellent cost/performance advantage, there were concerns around weldability in the early development of SDSS, which were often sufficient to prevent its adoption – particularly in plate form. Retaining the favorable duplex microstructure can be problematic when welding. High heat input can result in more ferrite than austenite in the weld zone, together with the formation of deleterious phases such as σ and brittle intermetallic phases. This can result in a significant loss of impact strength and (more significantly) corrosion resistance in this region, resulting in rapid failure.
By harnessing a more complete understanding of these metallurgical phenomena, Langley Alloys was able to demonstrate that SDSS can be welded to achieve excellent properties. Robust joints can be produced by well qualified weld procedures, controlled heat input and interpass welding temperatures, using over-alloyed filler metals, and appropriate shield gases.
Steady, Willing, and Able Expansion
Since 2010, the global business has operated warehouses in Portland, Oregon in the U.S. A Houston sales office was later added, followed by the establishment of a second warehouse in 2013.
Following a period of sales growth, Langley Alloys expanded and consolidated its U.S. facilities in Conroe (Houston), Texas in 2021. The site allows the business to carry an increased range of high-performance corrosion resistant alloys, as well as provide more responsive service to customers.
Langley Alloys’ core activity remains distribution, and this activity has grown markedly in recent years. “Globally, we have added staff to meet the rising demand. In the U.S., our activities have really taken off. The Portland and Houston operations were consolidated on a single large site. We added Super 13 Chrome bar to the U.S. product portfolio this year, and at the same time expanded the size ranges for our super duplex plate and bar products,” detailed Rice.
“The consolidated unit is greater than 30,000 square feet, which is effectively double the size of our original facility, and it is on par with our UK site. The building is large enough to maneuver cranes inside, and it is fitted with high-density stocking that replicates the UK configuration. It may have seemed a bold move to commit to a facility twice the size of the previous one, but we were confident that it would be a great springboard to grow our presence and sales in the U.S. market,” added Rice.
The original site in Houston formerly stocked a wide range of grades, but did not have the critical mass of stock. For a period of time, we focused on duplex and super duplex alloys such as Ferralium 255, S32750/SAF2507, S32760, and the regular 2205 duplex. However, that range was too narrow for many of our customers. The larger facility allows Langley to stock a wider product range, including XM19 and nickel alloys such as grades 625, 825, 925 and 718, replicating the UK stockholding,” said Rice. “We are working very hard to increase our stock levels, which has proven tricky during a period of high demand and lengthy mill lead times.”
The Expansion of Langley’s Portfolio
“Our UK site stocks practically all grades of duplex, super duplex and nickel alloy bars,” explained Rice. “We significantly increased our focus on nickel-based alloys in recent years, to broaden our relevance to customers. Our focus has traditionally been on the development and distribution of super duplex stainless steels. As these are used in the most demanding applications, it seems logical that our customers will require complementary alloys. While we have stocked nickel alloys for some time, our levels of investment in this stock have increased significantly in recent years.” Langley has substantially increased its stockholding of nickel alloys. Grades such as Alloy 718 and K-500 had been in Langley’s portfolio for many years, and initially it extended that to include Alloys 625, 725 and 825. Alloy 925 came a year later, in sizes specific to customers who are using this grade as a cost-effective alternative to Alloy 718. “We have also invested heavily in Alloy 625, making us a more-rounded supplier than ever before.”
The company’s nickel alloys are used primarily in offshore oil and gas applications, and in the chemical processing industry where there are often very aggressive and/or higher-temperature environments in which stainless steels and higher-grade alloys are preferred.
Increased Demand for Alloy 925
Alloy 925 is a grade that Langley Alloys has strongly promoted recently. It is increasingly being specified in oil and gas applications, when conditions allow, as a lower-cost alternative to Alloy 718. “Typical components are machined from something approaching a heavy-walled tubular section, where our deep hole borer is an extremely cost-effective first-stage machining operation. This saves our customers time and cost when machining, plus reduced shipping costs by removing weight,” explained Rice.
Growing with the Future
As the importance of sustainable business practices grows within the global supply chain, Langley Alloys believes that distributors play a key role in helping customers reduce emissions, particularly those related to the repeated transportation of materials.
Langley Alloys has a clear focus on high-performance duplex, super duplex, and nickel alloys. It is not just this focus that sets them apart; the company stocks a tremendous amount of these grades, ensuring that the items customers require are always available. “We see continual high demand for duplex and super duplex from the oil & gas industry, and a drive towards energy security. Although people may instantly think of upstream exploration and extraction, these grades are widely used in downstream applications in pump and valve components. Applications involving exposure to seawater have also been positive. Fasteners continue to be a strong application – and we supply most manufacturers for their applications in high-performance alloys. Water scarcity will continue to create demand for desalination, which requires duplex and super duplex piping. Plate applications support mining, hydrothermal power, fertilizer production, and more,” said Rice.
Looking to the future, the team at Langley Alloys is planning to continue growing in all markets. “We already export to Brazil and Australia, and every land in between. Our future focus will be on continuing to grow to support our prospective customers, deepen our stock, and further develop our team,” said Rice. “The move to our large facility in Houston was certainly a big step for us. Beyond that, we have invested significantly in stock and material. We have also invested a lot in equipment and added to our sales team. We are going to carry on in the way we have done, becoming more competitive in our field. We are confident that we will continue to meet the demanding requirements and expectations of the markets so that a bright future lies ahead of us.”
Mill Partnerships
Langley Alloys maintains close relationships with leading producers to ensure its customers have access to the best products. Notable among these are Alleima (formerly known as Sandvik) and voestalpine Bohler Edelstahl.
“We are Alleima’s preferred distribution partner for duplex and super duplex bars in the United States and the United Kingdom,” said Rice. This partnership began when Alleima rationalized their distribution facilities and has extended into supplying other alloys and products.
In addition, Langley Alloys is one of voestalpine Bohler Edelstahl’s independent distribution partners for nickel alloys and high-performance stainless steels. “We have been working together for many years to ensure that oil & gas end users around the world have access to Bohler’s high quality corrosion resistant alloys,” explained Rice.
Investment in Sawing Capacity
“To upgrade processing capabilities, we invested around half a million dollars in the latest generation of Kasto Inc. CNC-controlled saws. This provides greater accuracy for managing harder-to-process nickel-based alloys. As our stocks and sales of grades such as Alloys 625, 825 and 925 continue to grow, so does the need to give our customers a more responsive service.”
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the profiled company and may not reflect the position of Stainless Steel World Americas.