NICKEL-BASED ALLOYS

Forge Fedriga is a leading manufacturer of Nickel-based open-die forged products. Our company is based on experience, quality, and safety.

But what are Nickel alloys, and what are their main applications?

Nickel alloys are used in many applications requiring high corrosion resistance, especially at high temperatures. These are metal alloys in which nickel is the main component; aluminum, cobalt, titanium, molybdenum, chromium, niobium, tantalum, and copper are generally combined in varying amounts depending on the application. Nickel-based alloys, which boast good weldability, are used in the food industry and for producing electronic and electrical equipment, among others. They can also be used for turbomachinery components, such as – for example – impeller vanes. Nickel superalloys are considered the best-performing alloys in the machinery sector.

H2 The mechanical properties of nickel alloys

When nickel-based, alloys and superalloys have a nickel weight amount ranging from a minimum of 40 percent to a maximum of 99.5 percent. The addition of copper reduces the final cost of the material, and it also increases the mechanical properties. By the way, nickel and copper are mutually soluble at any concentration. A further increase in mechanical strength occurs thanks to the presence of aluminum with traces of titanium.

Going into more detail about the mechanical properties, nickel alloys are valued for their temperature, oxidation, and corrosion resistance to a wide range of substances and for their ability to maintain these characteristics over a vast temperature range.

H2 Applications of nickel alloys

Because of the properties just mentioned, nickel alloys are increasingly being used under particularly severe conditions when stainless steels with austoferritic or austenitic matrices cannot ensure an adequate metallurgical compromise. Speaking of superalloys with austenitic structures, one must mention the superalloy Inconel, also known by Nicrofer, Nickelvac, Altempo, and Chronin: these are different trade names that all indicate the same alloy. Inconel contains nickel in the range of 48 to 72 percent and chromium in the range of 14 to 29 percent. Due to its resistance to corrosion, high temperatures, and oxidation, it is used for the inner lining of pipes in the petroleum industry and for the fabrication of gas turbine parts.

The mechanical performance of nickel alloys, by the way, is improved by adding the elements mentioned earlier. Not only aluminum and titanium but also niobium deserves to be included in the list of the most effective improvers for these alloys. These are elements that, as a result of ad hoc heat treatment, generate intermetallic phases. On the other hand, iron and chromium can harden alloys by adding carbon to form phosphorus, nitrogen, and carbides. Even carbon can promote the presence of carbides at the grain edge. In short, the nickel base is enriched with alloying agents to provide hardening or improve other characteristics, such as corrosion resistance.

H2 Nickel alloy forged products: high temperature or corrosion resistance

Nickel alloy forged products can be used in a wide variety of industrial sectors. It should be kept in mind that nickel alloys are distinguished into temperature-resistant alloys and corrosion-resistant alloys. The latter can resist corrosion even in welded conditions and oxidizing atmospheres, fuels, and nitrides in reducing atmosphere. They also resist viscous creep.

Nickel-forged products may be needed to produce pumps, plugs and blades, among other things, piping, drains, and plates. In the list of main applications, steam and gas turbines, bushings, aspirators, reactors, and capacitors are worth mentioning. There is also a need for nickel alloys in the nuclear, petrochemical, and chemical industries and for making cathodes, catalysts, protected casings, rings, rollers, and knives. Nickel alloys are also in demand for aircraft black boxes, and to protect recovery boiler pipes.

Contact Forge Fedriga to learn more about a wide range of products forged in nickel alloys with open die. You can browse the products of a professional and technologically advanced company with many years of experience in forging these materials.