Alloy pipes are made from specific blends of metals, with different alloys suited to different applications. Wholesalers organize inventory by alloy type and tube diameter, with steel, aluminum, copper, and brass commonly used. Steel is ideal for applications requiring hardness, strength, and wear resistance, while stainless steel has distinctive properties due to its chromium content. Alloy tubing comes in many varieties, each with a slightly different composition indicated by a numbered code.
Alloy pipes are a type of metal pipe made from a specific alloy or blend of metals. Some alloys are better suited to certain applications than others, so the blends used in alloy tubing are specifically defined. For example, 4130 steel alloy is defined as one that contains 0.30 percent carbon by weight, as well as specific amounts of other elements.
The varieties of alloy tubing available are virtually unlimited. In addition to the many different alloy blends, many different tube sizes can be made. Wholesalers and retailers of these metal parts often organize their inventory by alloy type and tube diameter. Both the outside diameter of the pipe and its wall thickness are measured and carefully controlled during the manufacturing process. Alloy tubes can be purchased in numerous combinations of these two parameters.
Steel isn’t the only metal used as a major component of alloy tubing. Aluminum and copper alloys are used equally, and brass tubing is also common. Copper alloy pipes are usually used in plumbing applications. Being more flexible than steel, copper tubing can be more easily adjusted and manipulated in small spaces and around corners. Aluminum tubing is great for making bicycle frames, and both brass and aluminum tubing are commonly used in model building.
There are some applications, however, for which steel is ideal. Its hardness, strength and wear resistance make a big difference where these attributes matter. The alloy tubes used in roll cages, for example, are almost always made from a steel alloy. Steel pipes are also the metal of choice for most other automotive applications, especially in engine parts. If used in these contexts, it can resist well and for long periods of time to the heat and pressure that is present in the engines.
In addition to carbon, the elements used to make steel alloys include chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, nickel and boron. There is a significant proportion of chromium in stainless steel, which gives this particular alloy some of its distinctive properties, most notably its well-known luster. Stainless steel alloy tubing comes in many different varieties, each with a slightly different composition, indicated by a numbered code. For example, Alloy 321 has 18% chromium and 11% nickel, stabilized by the addition of titanium. This particular alloy is best suited for applications such as aircraft hydraulics and power tools.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
