Recent Developments in Valve Seat Insert Alloys

High carbon, high chromium nickel and cobalt base alloys as well as intermetallic compound- type cobalt base alloy are the major valve seat insert (VSI) materials for heavy duty engine applications. Recently, several new valve seat insert alloys were successfully developed to replace these traditional nickel and cobalt base alloys. Experiments indicate that these new alloys provide similar or improved important properties, such as sliding wear resistance and hot hardness, and offer significant cost reduction compared to traditional alloys.