|
 Nickel is the fifth most
common element on planet Earth. All nickel was formed
billions of years ago in supernova explosions, the only place
in nature where the temperature and pressure conditions were
sufficient for the nickel atom to form.
Nickel is a very versatile
metal with many applications in the aerospace industry.
It's ability to alloy with a wide range of metals has brought
it to the forefront of metallurgy. Nickel alloys possess
high strength and excellent corrosion resistance, particularly
in aerospace applications where elevated temperatures are
present.
Nickel-based Superalloys
have been developed for very high temperature applications
where relatively high stresses are encountered and where high
surface stability is frequently required. Nickel
Superalloys are used in the manufacture of McDonnell Douglas
F15 and General Dynamics F16 fighters for combustor,
flameholder, afterburner, inner liners and nozzels.
Cobalt is a strategic and
critical metal used in many diverse commercial, industrial,
and military applications. The largest use of cobalt in the
aerospace industry is to make parts for gas turbine aircraft
engines.
Heat resistant alloys of nickel and
cobalt are used where high temperature performance,
particularly creep resistance, is required. These alloys have
been typically selected for gas turbine components such as
blades, turbine wheels and latter stage compressor disks,
which are subjected to long term rotational stresses and high
temperatures.
Also used for
heat treating fabrications including furnaces, retorts and
fixtures, for strength at temperature and resistance to
oxidation, carburization, sulfication and nitriding. The
commercial forms of nickel and cobalt based alloys fall into
the following categories:
High Temperature
These materials are
designed to provide unique strength and/or corrosion
properties at elevated temperatures. Major attributes
include properties such as high strength, high creep
resistance, resistance to softening, or resistance to metals
loss at high temperature from oxidation, sulfidation, or
carburization. Nickel content ranges from approximately
25% to 60%, with critical amounts of chromium, molybdenum,
columbium and titanium.
|
Grade |
End Use |
|
AL 600 |
Furnace
parts, Heat treatment fixtures and restaurant cooking
appliances |
|
AL 601 |
Heat treat
baskets, Muffles and Retorts |
|
AL 625 HP |
Applications
similar to AL 625 where extended fatigue life is
desired, particularly at low cycle. |
AL 800™
AL 800H™
AL 800AT™ |
Process
piping, Heat treat fixtures and Furnace parts |
|
ALTEMP™ 263 |
Land based
gas turbines |
ALTEMP™ 625
AL 718
AL 722
AL X750 |
Jet engine
nacelles, Engine plumbing, Aircraft ducting,
Recuperators and Trust |
Corrosion Resistant
These alloys are intended
for applications in the chemical processing, petroleum
refining, marine, heat treating, pollution and waste control
industries where common 200, 300 and 400 Series stainlesses
may not provide adequate corrosion protection. The
Corrosion Resistant Materials may be grouped as follows:
|
Grade |
End Use |
|
AL 200/201 |
Containers
and Piping |
|
AL 22 |
Flue-gas
desulphurization systems, Waste incinerators, and Sour
Gas service |
|
AL 276 |
Pipe, tube
for aggressive chloride environments |
|
AL 400 |
Pumps,
Valves and Fittings |
|
AL 825 |
Pollution
control and Radioactive waste equipment, Chemical
transportation and acid production equipment, Pickling
equipment, Oil/Gas well piping. |
|
ALLCORR® |
Highly
aggressive acidic chloride environments |
Electric
Soft Magnetic - Controlled
Expansion - The thermal expansion characteristics of this
group are used in several ways. For glass-to-metal
sealing applications, the thermal expansion characteristics of
glass and metal are closely matched and the metal must also
have an oxide which fluxes at high temperature with the glass
to provide a hermetic and mechanically sound joint. The
most common applications are attachment of metallic parts to
the internal of TV and cathode ray tubes, and also certain
lamp bulb bases.
|
Grade |
End Use |
|
AL 36 |
Controlled
Expansion: Liquefied gas storage, Bimetallic strips for
thermometers, LNG, TV Aperature masks, Composite wing
molds. |
|
AL 42 |
Controlled
Expansion: Lead frames, Color TB electron guns,
Glass-metal and ceramic-metal seals, Transistors. |
|
AL 4750 |
Soft
Magnetic: Magnetic relay parts, Magnetic shielding, Pole
pieces, Specialty motor stators and rotors, Electric
Transformers and Magnetic amplifiers |
|
Moly
Permalloy |
Soft
Magnetic: Cores and relay components for high
sensitivity ground fault circuit breakers, Magnetic
shields and Electric transformers |
For more information about
Nickel Alloys, please visit the Nickel Development Institute
website at
www.nidi.org.
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