Materials Fabrication

There are many outstanding materials with highly desirable mechanical properties and corrosion resistance that are seldom used because they cannot be fabricated. There are some materials which have excellent properties that can be fabricated as produced but, because of aging, cannot be modified or repaired after exposure to operating conditions. Materials should therefore be selected on the basis of their maintainability as well as their original fabricability.

In general, the wrought heat resistant alloys have greater fabricability than the cast materials. Cast alloy steels, for example, can typically tolerate significantly higher concentrations of carbon, silicon, tungsten, molybdenum, etc., which are added to enhance mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, or both. But, these elements also can adversely affect the original, as-produced fabricability and make maintainability, particularly weldability, difficult, if not impossible.