K MONEL.pdf

This is a vendor acknowledgement document regarding a quality and safety issue with K-Monel (nickel-copper-aluminum alloy) material manufactured by Special Metals Corporation of Huntington, West Virginia.

Recent investigations identified eighty (80) heats of K-Monel fastener material that may not meet mechanical property requirements due to insufficient aluminum content. The problem stems from a 1994 process change at Special Metals Corporation that added extra aluminum at the toe of the ingot, resulting in non-homogeneous composition. Studies show aluminum concentration in the toe portion of affected ingots could be as low as approximately 2.0%, with corresponding yield strength as low as approximately 40,000 PSI, falling below the QQ-N-286 specification minimum of 85,000 PSI for 1" material. The document lists eighty suspect heat numbers in Table I that require immediate review and identification.

Vendors are required to review all in-stock and in-process K-Monel material from Special Metals Corporation for the suspect heat numbers provided. Vendors are prohibited from providing raw stock or finished products made from these suspect heats and must contact the PHNS & IMF contracting officer for adjudication if suspect materials have already been incorporated into finished products. The second section establishes K-Monel raw stock requirements per QQ-N-286 Revision G specification, identifying seven approved laboratories authorized to perform required slow strain rate testing, including facilities in Huntington, Houston, West Bethesda, Monroe, Duisburg, Youngstown, and Houston.