Langley Alloys traces its history to 1938, and our early years are closely tied to the development of novel copper alloys. Several of those alloys - Hiduron® 130, Hiduron® 191 and Hidurel® 5 - are still in demand today.
Another item from our archives surfaced in the office recently: a commemorative plaque cast in our own foundry in 1978. Its dates mark the founding of the business in 1938 and the relocation of the foundry 45 years later, in 1978. We no longer melt and cast at our site in Newcastle under Lyme, following the break-up of the original business, but that history remains around us.
A number of copper alloys we invented and promoted during this period are still commercially successful.
Hiduron® 130
Hiduron® 130 (DTD 498/500, 2.1504) is our highest-strength copper-nickel. We developed a family of alloys under the Hidurax name, first trademarked in 1939. Hidurax Special was the original name for Hiduron® 130, developed as a high-strength, corrosion-resistant alloy for naval applications such as seals, shafts, submarine control planes and winch components. The Hiduron® trademark was registered in 1966, and Hidurax Special became Hiduron® 130.
As a cupronickel, it resists corrosion by seawater and marine and industrial atmospheres, and is highly resistant to crevice corrosion. It has very low magnetic permeability - it is virtually non-magnetic - and a higher modulus of elasticity than is usual for copper alloys. These properties are achieved without heat treatment and combine with good machinability and an excellent finish.
Today Hiduron® 130 is used mainly in sub-sea hydraulic and electrical connectors, such as flying lead connectors for stab plates. It also features in naval winches, seawater valves and marine engineering generally, in heavily stressed airframe components in aerospace, and in valve seat inserts and thrust washers for high-performance internal combustion engines. It is covered by DIN 2.1504 and DTD 900/4805, to which it can be supplied when required.
Hiduron® 191
Hiduron® 191 (NES835, DEFSTAN 02-835) is a variant of Hiduron® 130 developed for improved impact toughness. It provides the corrosion resistance and anti-fouling characteristics of conventional cupronickels, but with superior tensile and toughness properties compared with aluminium bronzes. Its marine corrosion resistance is comparable with conventional cupronickels, its combination of strength and toughness is far superior to aluminium bronzes, and its properties are largely independent of section size. It also has the relatively high modulus of elasticity of a cupronickel compared with most other bronzes.
Hidurel® 5
Hidurel® 5 (DTD498, UNS C64700, 2.0855) is a precipitation-hardening copper-nickel-silicon alloy with high electrical and thermal conductivity, very good notch ductility and high mechanical strength. Despite its strength, it resists hydrogen embrittlement. Its resistance to corrosion in marine and industrial conditions is excellent, and it has good anti-frictional and bearing properties. With a magnetic permeability below 1.001, it is essentially non-magnetic, and it was one of the original alloys developed for its bearing properties.
Hidurel® 5 meets the mechanical and chemical properties of DTD 498, BS 4577 Type A3/2 and Rolls-Royce MSRR 8501, to which we regularly supply, so it can be specified with confidence for high-integrity components. Cold-worked material to DTD 504 can also be supplied to order.
| Grade | Also known as | UNS / DIN |
|---|---|---|
| Hiduron® 130 | Hidurax Special | DTD 900/4805, 2.1504 |
| Hiduron® 191 | n/a | NES835, DEFSTAN 02-835 |
| Hidurel® 5 | n/a | DTD498, UNS C64700, 2.0855 |