Nickel

NICKEL THE SOCIABLE METAL

Nickel readily mixes with iron, copper, chromium, molybdenum, titanium, cobalt, and tungsten producing useful and critical engineering alloys. Remember back to your early days in school when the teacher might include the statement “plays nicely with others” in a report card? This also describes nickel, a versatile element which will alloy with most metals. The breadth of nickel-containing alloys and their applications is unmatched. Nickel forms binary (two element) alloys with copper, molybdenum, titanium, iron and chromium. It also forms tertiary alloys where iron is the third element either because iron is essential to the alloy’s properties, or the presence of iron is not objectionable to the alloy’s properties and thus is added to reduce cost. Then there are multi-element alloys which contain many of the aforementioned elements, in particular the corrosion-resistant stainless steels and nickel-based alloys. The presence of chromium, molybdenum and other elements provide corrosion resistance. But nickel is essential to maintain an austenitic microstructure which gives these alloys their excellent fabrication and welding characteristics. Higher concentrations of nickel are required as the content of these other elements is increased. Thanks to the ‘sociability’ of nickel, many corrosion-resistant alloys are possible. Without them the production of most of the chemicals used by industry would be more difficult and more expensive using other less satisfactory metals.

Binary element alloys

Tertiary element alloys

Multi- ele ment alloys

Corrosion resistant stainless steels and nickel-base alloys Name UNS Ni Composition, wt.%* Other

Alloy 400 N04400 66 32 Cu Cu-Ni 70-30 C71500 30 70 Cu

Characteristics

Corrosion resistance Corrosion resistance

Alloy B-2 N10665 72 28 Mo Nitinol N01555 55 45 Ti

Alloy 36

K93600 36 64 Fe Nichrome 80-20 N06003 80 20 Cr Kovar® K94610 29 17 Co, 54 Fe

Alloy 80

N14080 80 5 Mo, 14 Fe Alloy 600 N06600 75 15 Cr, 8 Fe Alloy 33 R20033 32 33 Cr, 34 Fe

MP35N®

R30035 35 35 Co, 20 Cr, 10 Mo Alloy 188 R30188 22 40 Co, 22 Cr, 14 W Alloy 617 N06617 54 12.5 Co, 22 Cr, 9 Mo 316 S31600 10 16 Cr, 2 Mo, 70 Fe

Corrosion resistance Shape memory and super elasticity Low expansion Electrical heating elements Low expansion High magnetic permeability Corrosion resistance Corrosion resistance High strength, corrosion resistance High temperature service High temperature service Corrosion resistance 6% Mo SS S31254 18 20 Cr, 6 Mo, 55 Fe Corrosion resistance Alloy 625 N06625 60 21 Cr, 8 Mo, 3.5 Nb, 4 Fe Corrosion resistance Alloy C-276 N10276 58 15 Cr, 16 Mo, 5 Fe, 3.5 W Corrosion resistance Alloy 718 N07718 52 19 Cr, 5 Nb, 3 Mo High strength, corrosion resistance 310 330 S31000 20 25 Cr, 52 Fe N08330 35 19 Cr, 1.2 Si, 44 Fe High temperature service High temperature service