NICKEL ALLOYS APPLICATIONS

AND PROCESSING
ISSUES TO ADDRESS...
How are metal alloys classified and how are
they used?
What are some of the common fabrication
techniques?
How do properties vary throughout a piece of
material that has been quenched, for example?
How can properties be modified by post heat
treatment?

Classifications of Metal Alloys

Stationary gas turbines such

as this are used for flexible power
generation.
Energy
efficiency
increases as the turbine operating
temperature increases; so the need
is for nickel-based alloys that are
capable of performing for long
periods at high temperatures. Some
blades in this turbine operate at
above 650 degrees Celcius.
Special nickel-based alloys are
also used to make critical hightemperature parts of turbines in
aircraft jet engines

Nickel-containing stainless steels are increasingly used to construct

rail carriages. Choice of nickel-containing stainless steel allows the
design of low-weight structures with sufficient impact resistance to give
improved passenger safety in the event of a crash. The corrosion
resistance of stainless steel also permits attractive designs and lower
maintenance costs.

This Toyota Prius is one of a new breed of automobiles called

"hybrids." these combine an efficient conventional engine with a
rechargeable nickel-containing battery. Hybrids have much lower
emissions and better energy efficiency than conventional vehicles.
Because they need no speical infractructure investiment, their
benefits can be realized now. (Photo courtesy of Toyota Corp.)

Nickel stainless steel has long been the most popular choice for highquality cookware. Such cookware looks good and is very hygienic.
Moreover, it is tough and retains its performance over a very long service
life. And in recent years, stainless steel has been increasingly used for
work surfaces and appliance fronts. As well as being used in the home,
nickel-containing stainless steels are very widely used in restaurants,
commerical catering operations and food and drink processing plants.

The most commonly-used material for high-quality bathroom and

kitchen fittings is brass that is plated with nickel, usually with a think
top layer of chromium. The photos above show nickel-chromiumplated shower parts. Nickel- and chrome-nickel-plated surfaces are
very attractive and very hard-wearing. They have long useful lieves,
being able to withstand the aggressive cleaning associated with
bathrooms and kitchens.

Low Alloys: Low Carbon

Composition: less than ~ 0.25% C
Microstructure: ferrite and pearlite
Properties: relatively soft and weak, but possess high
ductility and toughness
Other features: moderately priced, machinable and
weldable
Applications: auto-body components, structural shapes,
sheets etc.
Plain carbon steels: residual concentration of impurities
are unresponsible to heat treatment
High-strength low alloy (HSLA) steels: up to 10 wt% of
alloying elements, such as Mn, Cr, Cu, V, Ni, Mo can be
strengthened by heat-treatment

Examples of HSLA Steels:

Weathering steels, exhibit superior atmospheric corrosion
resistance
Control-rolled steels, has a highly deformed austenite
structure that transforms to a very fine equiaxed ferrite
structure on cooling
Pearlite-reduced steels, strengthened by very fine-grain
ferrite and precipitation hardening with a little or no pearlite
in the microstructure
Microalloyed steels, with very small additions of Ni, V
and/or Ti for refinement of grain size and/or precipitation
hardening
Acicular ferrite steel, very low carbon steels with sufficient
hardenability to transform on cooling to a very fine highstrength acicular ferrite structure

Low Alloy Steels

High-Alloy Steels: Stainless Steels (SS)

The primarely alloying element is Cr (11 wt.%)
Highly resistance to corrosion
Four major classes:
(a) The austenitic SS has -Fe microstructure at room
temperature!! This fcc structure normally stable only above
910 C is stabilized in SS by addition of Ni extremely
corrosion resistant and NOT magnetic;
(b) The ferritic SS has Fe bbc structure. Not so corrosion
resistant as austenitic SS, but less expensive magnetic steel;
(d) The martensitic SS this fine magnetic bct structure is
produced by rapid quenching and possesses high yield
strength and low ductility. Applications: springs.
(e) The precipitation hardening SS producing multiple
microstructure form a single-phase one, leads to the
increasing resistance for the dislocation motion
(a) and (b) are hardening and strengthening by cold work

Other Alloys
Miscellaneous Nonferrous Alloys:
- Nickel and its alloy: high corrosion resistant
(Example: monel -65Ni/28Cu/7wt%Fe pumps
valves in aggressive environment)