ASTM Grade LC9 (J31300) Cast Nickel Steel
ASTM grade LC9 steel is an alloy steel formulated for casting. Cited properties are appropriate for the quenched and tempered condition. LC9 is the ASTM designation for this material. J31300 is the UNS number.
It has a very high base cost among cast alloy steels. In addition, it has a very high electrical conductivity and a fairly high embodied energy.
The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare ASTM grade LC9 steel to: cast alloy steels (top), all iron alloys (middle), and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.
Mechanical Properties
Brinell Hardness
200
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
190 GPa 27 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
22 %
Fatigue Strength
420 MPa 60 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Reduction in Area
34 %
Shear Modulus
73 GPa 11 x 106 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
660 MPa 95 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
590 MPa 85 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
260 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
430 °C 810 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
1450 °C 2650 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
1410 °C 2570 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
470 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Expansion
13 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
8.9 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
10 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
8.0 % relative
Density
7.9 g/cm3 500 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
2.3 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
31 MJ/kg 13 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
65 L/kg 7.7 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
140 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
920 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
24 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
23 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
21 points
Thermal Shock Resistance
20 points
Alloy Composition
Among cast alloy steels, the composition of ASTM grade LC9 steel is notable for including copper (Cu) and vanadium (V). Copper is used to improve corrosion resistance, and to add at least some degree of precipitation hardenability. Vanadium has a strong hardening effect, but this effect is particularly sensitive to the type of tempering.
| Fe | 87.4 to 91.5 | |
| Ni | 8.5 to 10 | |
| Mn | 0 to 0.9 | |
| Cr | 0 to 0.5 | |
| Si | 0 to 0.45 | |
| Cu | 0 to 0.3 | |
| Mo | 0 to 0.2 | |
| C | 0 to 0.13 | |
| S | 0 to 0.045 | |
| P | 0 to 0.040 | |
| V | 0 to 0.030 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
ASTM A352: Standard Specification for Steel Castings, Ferritic and Martensitic, for Pressure-Containing Parts, Suitable for Low-Temperature Service
Pressure Vessels: External Pressure Technology, 2nd ed., Carl T. F. Ross, 2011
Manufacture and Uses of Alloy Steels, Henry D. Hibbard, 2005
Ferrous Materials: Steel and Cast Iron, Hans Berns and Werner Theisen, 2008
Steels: Processing, Structure, and Performance, 2nd ed., George Krauss, 2015