Nickel alloy is an alloy with nickel as a base element, generally referring to alloys containing more than 50% nickel, Nickel is a vital and versatile element to combine with other alloys to achieve outstanding heat and corrosion resistance.
Nickel alloys play an important role in use in tough industrial environments, due to their a number of characteristics and advantages, they have excellent resistance to oxidation and corrosion, high strength and are easily welded, these properties make them suitable for use in very high and low temperatures conditions.
Nickel-containing stainless steels exhibit important properties in formability, weldability and ductility while increasing corrosion resistance in certain applications, there are 75% of stainless steels contain Nickel element.
Nickel Alloy Composition
| Alloy | UNS | Nickel | Copper | Iron | Manganese | Carbon | Silicon | Sulfur | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monel 400 | N04400 | 63.0min | 28.0-34.0 | 2.50max | 2.00max | 0.30max | 0.50max | 0.024max | |
| Inconel 600 | N06600 | 72.0min | 0.50max | 6.00-10.00 | 1.00max | 0.15max | 0.50max | 0.015max | Cr: 14.0-17.0 |
| Inconel 601 | N06601 | 58.0-63.0 | 1.00max | Bal. | 1.00max | 0.10max | 0.50max | 0.015max | Al: 1.00-1.70 Cr: 21.0-25.0 |
| Inconel 625 | N08825 | 58.0min | 5.00max | 0.50max | 0.10max | 0.50max | 0.015max | Co: 1.00max Al: 0.40max Ti: 0.40max Cr: 20.00-23.00 Mo: 8.00-10.00 P: 0.015max Nb: 3.15-4.15 | |
| Incoloy 800 | N08800 | 30.0-35.0 | 0.75max | 39.50min | 1.50max | 0.10max | 1.00max | 0.015max | Al：0.15-0.60 Ti: 0.15-0.60 Cr：19.0-23.0 |
| Incoloy 800H | N08810 | 30.0-35.0 | 0.75max | 39.50min | 1.50max | 0.05-0.10 | 1.00max | 0.015max | Al: 0.15-0.60 Ti: 0.15-0.60 Cr: 19.0-23.0 |
| Incoloy 800HT | N08811 | 30.0-35.0 | 075max | 39.5min | 1.50max | 0.06-0.10 | 1.00max | 0.015max | Al: 0.85-1.20 Ti: 0.25-0.60 Cr: 19.0-23.0 |
| Incoloy 825 | N08825 | 38.0-46.0 | 1.50-3.00 | 22.00min | 1.00max | 0.05max | 0.50max | 0.03max | Al: 0.20max Ti: 0.60-1.20 Cr: 19.50-23.50 Mo: 2.50-3.50 |
| C-276 | N10276 | Bal. | 4.00-7.00 | 1.00max | 0.01max | 0.08max | 0.03max | Co: 2.50max Cr: 14.50-16.50 Mo: 15.00-17.00 Tu: 3.00-4.50 Va：0.35max P: 0.04max | |
| Alloy 020 | 32.00-38.00 | 3.00-4.00 | Bal. | 2.00max | 0.07max | 1.00max | 0.035max | Cr: 19.00-21.00 Mo: 2.00-3.00 |
Nickel Alloy Tube & Pipe Specifications
- ASTM B163(ASME SB163) Standard Specification for Seamless Nickel and Nickel Alloy Condenser and Heat-Exchanger Tubes
- ASTM B165(ASME SB165) Standard Specification for Nickel-Copper Alloy Seamless Pipe and Tube
- ASTM B167(ASME SB167) Standard Specification for Nickel-Chromium-Aluminum Alloys (UNS N06699), Nickel-Chromium-Iron Alloys (UNS N06600, N06601, N06603, N06690, N06693, N06025, N06045, and N06696), Nickel-Chromium-Cobalt-Molybdenum Alloy (UNS N06617), Nickel-Iron-Chromium-Tungsten Alloy (UNS N06674), and Nickel-Chromium-Molybdenum-Copper Alloy (UNS N06235) Seamless Pipe and Tube
- ASTM B407(ASME SB407) Standard Specification for Nickel-Iron-Chromium Alloy Seamless Pipe and Tube
- ASTM B423(ASME SB423) Standard Specification for Nickel-Iron-Chromium-Molybdenum-Copper Alloy (UNS N08825, N08221, and N06845) Seamless Pipe and Tube
- ASTM B444(ASME SB444) Standard Specification for Nickel-Chromium-Molybdenum-Columbium Alloys (UNS N06625 and UNS N06852) and Nickel-Chromium-Molybdenum-Silicon Alloy (UNS N06219) Pipe and Tube
- ASTM B622(ASME SB622) Standard Specification for Seamless Nickel and Nickel-Cobalt Alloy Pipe and Tube
- ASTM B668(ASME SB668) Standard Specification for UNS N08028 and N08029 Seamless Pipe and Tube
- ASTM B690(ASME SB690) Standard Specification for Iron-Nickel-Chromium-Molybdenum Alloy (UNS N08367) Seamless Pipe and Tube
- ASTM B729(ASME SB729) Standard Specification for Seamless Nickel-Iron-Chromium-Molybdenum-Copper Nickel Alloy Pipe and Tube
Nickel Alloy Grade Equivalents
| Tabfive | ASTM | UNS | W.Nr. / EU | Alloy Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ni68Cu28Fe | Monel400 | N04400 | 2.436 | Monel 400(SMC) |
| – | K500 | N05500 | 2.4375 | Monel K500(SMC) |
| 1Cr15Ni75Fe | 600 | N06600 | 2.4816 | Inconel 600(SMC) |
| 1Cr23Ni60Fe13Al | 601 | N06601 | 2.4851 | Inconel 601(SMC) |
| 20Cr25Ni60Fe10AlY | 602 | N06025 | 2.4633 | Nicrofer 6025HT(VDM) |
| – | 617 | N06617 | 2.4663 | Inconel 617(SMC) |
| 0Cr20Ni65Mo10Nb4 | 625 | N06625 | 2.4856 | Inconel 625(SMC) |
| 0Cr30Ni60Fe10 | 690 | N06690 | 2.4642 | Inconel 690(SMC) |
| 0Cr20Ni32AlTi | 800 | N08810 | 1.4558 | Incoloy 800(SMC) |
| 1Cr20Ni32AlTi | 800H | N08810/8811 | 1.4876 | Incoloy 800H(SMC) |
| 0Cr21Ni42Mo3Cu2Ti | 825 | N08825 | 2.4858 | Incoloy 825(SMC) |
| 00Cr15Ni60Mo16W5Fe5 | C276 | N10276 | 2.4819 | Hastelloy C276(Haynes) |
| 00Cr17Ni57Mo13W3 | C22 | N06022 | 2.4602 | Hastelloy C22(Haynes) |
| – | C2000 | N06200 | 2.4675 | Hastelloy C2000(Haynes) |
| 00Ni70Mo28 | B2 | N10665 | 2.4617 | Hastelloy B2(Haynes) |
| 00Mo28Ni65Fe1.5Cr1.5 | B3 | N10675 | 2.46 | Hastelloy B3(Haynes) |
| 0Cr20Ni35Mo3Cu3Nb | Alloy 20 | N08020 | 2.466 | Incoloy 020(SMC) |
| 00Cr27Ni31Mo3Cu | Alloy 28 | N08028 | 1.4563 | Sanicro 28 |
| 00Cr27Ni31Mo7CuN | Alloy 31 | N08031 | 1.4562 | Nicrofer 3127hMo(VDM) |
| 00Cr22Ni48Mo7Cu2Nb | G3 | N06985 | 2.4619 | Hastelloy G3(Haynes) |
| 00Cr30Ni43Mo5.5W2.5Cu2Nb | G30 | N06030 | 2.4603 | Hastelloy G30(Haynes) |
| 0Cr33Ni55Mo8 | G35 | N06035 | 2.4643 | Hastelloy G35(Haynes) |
| 0Cr15Ni70Ti3AlNb | X750 | N07750 | 2.4669 | Inconel X750(SMC) |
Nickel Alloy Applications
Nickel and nickel alloys are used for a wide variety of applications, the majority of which involve corrosion resistance and/or heat resistance. Some of these include:
- Aircraft gas turbines
- Steam turbine power plants
- Medical applications
- Nuclear power systems
- Chemical and petrochemical industries
A number of other applications for nickel alloys involve the unique physical properties of special-purpose nickel-base or high-nickel alloys. These include:
- Low-expansion alloys
- Electrical resistance alloys
- Soft magnetic alloys
- Shape memory alloys
Trade Names And Owners Of Nickel Alloys
HASTELLOY is a registered trade name of Haynes Intl.
INCOLOY, INCONEL, MONEL and NIMONIC are registered trade names of the INCO family of companies.
INVAR is a registered trademark of Imphy S.A.
MU-METAL is a registered trademark of Telcon Metals Ltd
NICORROS and NICROFER are registered tradenames of Krupp UM GmbH
Nickel-Based Alloys Adding Elements And Functions
To further improve the physical and chemical properties of nickel to meet the requirements of scientific technology and industrial development, it is necessary to add an appropriate amount of alloying elements to nickel, they are Non-ferrous metal materials.
- Pure nickel
- Nickel-Iron Alloys
- Nickel-Copper Alloys
- Nickel-Molybdenum Alloys
- Nickel-Chromium Alloys
- Nickel-Chromium-Iron Alloys
- Nickel-Chromium-Molybdenum Alloys
- Nickel-Chromium-Cobalt Alloys
- Nickel-Titanium Alloys
There are two types of alloying elements added: one is solid solution strengthening elements that can form a solid solution with nickel, such as copper, cobalt, iron, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, manganese, etc.; the other is forming an intermediate compound strengthening phase with nickel Elements such as aluminum, silicon, beryllium, titanium, zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium and tantalum. In addition, for specific purposes and applications, some trace elements are sometimes added, such as rare earth elements, boron, magnesium, calcium, strontium, and barium. When solid solution strengthening elements are added to nickel, its strength, hardness, shock resistance, corrosion resistance, oxidation resistance, high temperature strength and certain physical properties, such as magnetism, thermoelectric potential, resistivity, etc., are significantly improved, while the expansion coefficient, The thermoelectric potential and the temperature coefficient of resistance of copper are greatly reduced. When alloying elements that can form a strengthening phase are added to nickel, the properties of the material, especially the high-temperature mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and certain physical properties, will be further improved. The addition of trace elements to the alloy is either to eliminate the harmful effects of harmful impurities on the performance of the alloy, or to obtain some special physical properties of the alloy, or to strengthen the alloy grain boundary, so as to ensure that the alloy products have a better use effect and more Long service life.
Classification By Use
Superalloy
The main alloying elements are chromium, tungsten, molybdenum, cobalt, aluminum, titanium, boron, zirconium and so on. Among them, chromium plays the role of anti-oxidation and anti-corrosion, and other elements play a strengthening role. It has high strength and resistance to oxidation and gas corrosion under high temperature of 650～1000℃. It is the most widely used and the highest-temperature strength alloy among high-temperature alloys. Used to manufacture high-temperature parts for aero-engine blades and rocket engines, nuclear reactors, and energy conversion equipment.
Corrosion-Resistant Alloy
The main alloying elements are copper, chromium, and molybdenum. It has good comprehensive performance and can resist various acid corrosion and stress corrosion. The earliest application was nickel-copper alloy, also known as Monel alloy; in addition to nickel-chromium alloy, nickel-molybdenum alloy, nickel-chromium-molybdenum alloy, etc. Used to manufacture various corrosion-resistant parts
Wear-Resistant Alloy
The main alloying elements are chromium, molybdenum and tungsten, and also contain small amounts of niobium, tantalum and indium. In addition to its wear resistance, its oxidation resistance, corrosion resistance, and welding performance are also good. It can be used to manufacture wear-resistant parts, and it can also be used as a coating material.
Precision Alloy
Including nickel-based soft magnetic alloys, nickel-based precision resistance alloys and nickel-based electrothermal alloys. The most commonly used soft magnetic alloy is Permalloy with about 80% nickel. It has high maximum permeability and initial permeability, and low coercivity. It is an important core material in the electronics industry. The main alloying elements of nickel-based precision resistance alloys are chromium, aluminum, and copper. This alloy has higher resistivity, lower temperature coefficient of resistivity, and good corrosion resistance. It is used to make resistors. Nickel-based electric heating alloy is a nickel alloy containing 20% of chromium, has good resistance to oxidation and corrosion, and can be used for a long time at a temperature of 1000～1100℃.
Shape Memory Alloys
Nickel alloy containing 50% (at)% of titanium. The recovery temperature is 70℃, and the shape memory effect is good. A small amount of nickel-titanium composition can change the recovery temperature within the range of 30～100℃. They are mostly used to manufacture self-expanding structural parts used in spacecraft, self-excited fasteners for the aerospace industry, artificial heart motors used in biomedicine, etc.