Haynes International, headquartered in Kokomo, Indiana, was a leading manufacturer of specialty high-temperature nickel and cobalt alloys under the Hastelloy and Haynes product families, supplying high-temperature corrosion-resistant alloys to industrial and naval applications. In Navy steam plant applications, Haynes alloy products were used in steam valve internals — valve seats, valve discs, and high-temperature trim components — where conventional carbon steel lacked the corrosion and erosion resistance required for sustained steam service.

High-Temperature Alloy Application in Navy Steam Valves

Haynes and Hastelloy alloy materials were used in steam valve internals in the same valve body equipment that used asbestos packing and gaskets as the external sealing components:

  • Valve seat and disc inserts in high-temperature steam service valves were manufactured from Haynes alloy materials for erosion and corrosion resistance, installed in the same Crane, Velan, and other valve bodies that used asbestos packing in the valve stem stuffing box
  • High-temperature trim components in superheater outlet valves and main steam stop valves — the highest-temperature valves in the steam plant — used Haynes alloy seat and disc materials requiring the same asbestos stem packing as other steam valves

Physical Association with Asbestos

The Haynes alloy valve trim components were present inside the same valve bodies — on the same valves — that used asbestos stem packing as the standard sealing material. When Machinist’s Mates or Boiler Tenders performed valve maintenance involving packing replacement on these valves, the valve being serviced contained both Haynes alloy internals and asbestos packing — making Haynes alloy products physically associated with the asbestos exposure pathway in valve maintenance.

Stellite-Type Alloys and Valve Refacing

Cobalt alloy (Stellite-type) valve seat and disc refacing — a periodic maintenance task on high-temperature steam valves — involved grinding and lapping the alloy valve seat surfaces to maintain a proper steam-tight seal. This refacing work generated metal dust in addition to potentially disturbing adjacent asbestos packing in the valve being serviced.

VA Claims

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from valve maintenance in Navy steam plants. The asbestos stem packing in the valves containing Haynes alloy trim is the primary exposure source from this category of steam plant work. Engineering ratings who performed valve maintenance and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma may qualify for VA disability benefits.