Aluminium Bronze Alloys in Navy and Renewable Energy applications

Nordic countries have a well-known shipbuilding industry, especially when it comes to propulsion. Those applications require seawater corrosion alloys and approved manufacturers from the classification societies that supervise all shipbuilding construction.

Aluminium Bronze alloys, why?

Aluminium Bronze alloys are a family of copper-based alloys that include aluminium, nickel, and iron. Each component is adjusted to improve strength or corrosion resistance and well documented in international standards (ex: EN 1982 / ASTM /ASME); all projects are carried out following classification society standards such as Lloyds, DNVGL, BV, RMRS, and in the case of Navy applications, adequate classification clearance levels are also required to access confidential projects.

Among the standard properties of Aluminium Bronze alloys, we find:

• High mechanical strength
• Non-sparking
• Biofouling
• High Corrosion resistance in seawater (without coatings)
• Lower cost than Titanium

And for more specific Navy applications where either high mechanical properties or low magnetic permeability are required, Inoxyda custom alloys are available.

But more detailed information is available in the « Guide to Nickel Aluminium Bronze for Engineers » published by the Copper Development Association.

Read more: Aluminium Bronze in heat exchangers

Aluminium bronze propulsion (credit: Inoxyda)

Main Applications in Navy and Shipbuilding

The main applications for NAB alloys in propulsion line components are for:

• Monobloc propellers
• “Built-up” CPP or FPP propellers
• Bearings and shaft liners

All of which can be provided rough or finished machined using different casting technologies:

• Sand Casting (Inoxyda can cast up to 20To parts)
• Centrifugal Casting (LBI Groupe can cast up to diam 6 000 mm)

But besides well-known propulsion applications, many other components in contact with seawater are made of aluminium bronze components:

• Heat exchangers
• Valves and Pumps in particular for scrubbers, ballast water treatment, and fire fighting systems

All of which are mandatory on all ships to comply with new international regulations.

Read more: Aluminium bronze alloys: an alternative for pumps and marine applications

Supporting Scandinavian Industries with Experience

Inoxyda, together with LBI Group, has been supporting local international companies with sand castings and centrifugal castings, including for large sizes. Combining industrial capabilities and experience enables countless shipbuilding and renewable energy applications (wind turbine, tidal turbines, Kaplan blades, Pelton runners).

For professional and convenient local customer support in Scandinavia, Inoxyda and LBI Group have been working closely with Hj. Edwards & Co. AB, a Gothenburg company for several years. The success is coming from Hj Edwards’ focus on engineered applications for world-class suppliers for more than 100 years.

Contact Edwards for more information on Aluminium Bronze Castings:

Article written by Jeanne Blain