pipe flanges are generally manufactured in different materials and grades. the most common materials for pipe flanges (forged grades) are: astm a105 (carbon steel high temperature to match a53/a106/api 5l pipes), a350 grades lf1/2/3 (carbon steel low temperature to match a333 pipes), a694 grades f42 to f80 (high yield carbon steel to match api 5l pipe grades), astm a182 grades f5 to f91 (alloy steel flanges to match a335 pipes), a182 grade f304/316 (stainless steel flanges to match a312 ss pipes), a182 gr. f44/f51/f53/f55 (duplex and super duplex to match a790/a928 pipes) and various nickel alloy grades (inconel, incoloy, hastelloy, monel).
carbon steel
carbon steel has excellent chemical and mechanical properties, which are making them perfect for flanges. there are three primary carbon steel material grades which are offering precise characteristics for many industrial applications. carbon steel is available in many grades with beneficial specifications. carbon steel has features such as excellent fatigue strength, high strength, superior chemical resistance, high toughness, and high stress-corrosion cracking resistance. this material makes flanges ideal for connecting various pipes and beneficial for required support in many mechanical parts.
• astm a105 is high-temperature carbon steel which has grades like a53, a106, and api 5l.
• astm a350 is low-temperature carbon steel which has grades such as lf1, lf2 cl1/cl2, lf3 cl1/cl2
• astm a694 is high-yield carbon steel, which has grades like f42, f46, f48, f52, f56, f60, f65, and f70 and suitable for steel pipes
of api 5l x42, x52, x65, and x60.
• astm a105, astm a350 lf1, lf2 cl1/cl2, lf3 cl1/cl2
alloy steel
alloy steel has a higher amount of chromium and molybdenum than carbon steel. alloy steel is suitable for high-pressure and high-temperature applications. it has improved resistance to corrosion as compared to standard carbon steel grades. alloy steel or astm a182 alloy is strong, ductile, and tough. it is easy to weld and has excellent resistance against oxidation and scaling. along with all these features, this material is widely used in flanges manufacturing. alloy steel flanges are suitable to use with astm a335 alloy steel pipes.
stainless steel
stainless steel has nickel (ni), chromium (cr), and molybdenum (mo) that differentiate stainless steel materials from other materials. stainless steel offers superior corrosion resistance, and it is widely used. this material is suitable to fabricate pipe flanges of all types and dimensions. stainless steel flanges are available in all required specifications and at reasonable rates. these are the grades of stainless steel which are suitable for pipe flanges:
• astm a182 f304/ 304l, f316/ 316l, f44 (uns s31254), f316h, f310, f321
• astm a403 wp316/ 316l, wp304/ 304l
duplex steel
duplex steel, i.e., astm a182 uns s31803 uns s32205, consists of a mixture of austenite and ferrite phases. it has the quality of corrosion resistance. with the excellent chemical and physical composition, duplex steel uns s31803 has characteristic of ferritic as well as austenitic steel. duplex steel is more rigid than ferritic steels and also has superior strength. it offers high intragranular corrosion resistance in chloride and sulfide environments. duplex steel has magnetic properties, which make it able to use in many complex industrial applications.
duplex steel, as well as super duplex steel flanges, are suitable to use with astm a790 seamless pipes and also with a928 welded duplex pipes.