Exploring the multifaceted world of nickel alloys: types, properties and application breakthroughs

Nickel alloys occupy a pivotal position in the vast field of modern materials science due to their unique properties and wide range of applications. From high-temperature engines in the aerospace industry to corrosion-resistant piping in the chemical industry, nickel alloys are quietly supporting the operation of many key industries. Nickel alloys are alloy systems based on nickel and incorporating a variety of other elements. Nickel itself has good mechanical, physical and chemical properties, and with the addition of different elements, its performance is further optimized and expanded. According to the application requirements and performance characteristics, nickel alloy can be broadly divided into the following categories.

1. Nickel-based high-temperature alloys: such alloys are known as the “mainstay” of the high-temperature environment. The main alloying elements include chromium, tungsten, molybdenum, cobalt, aluminum, titanium, boron, zirconium and so on. Chromium gives the alloy its oxidation and corrosion resistance, while the other elements act as reinforcements. In the 650 – 1000 ℃ high temperature range, nickel-based high-temperature alloys show high strength, as well as excellent resistance to oxidation, gas corrosion resistance, is currently the most widely used high-temperature alloys, high-temperature strength of the highest category. In the aero-engine blades, rocket engines, nuclear reactors and energy conversion equipment, high-temperature parts manufacturing, are inseparable from its figure. For example, in the manufacture of turbine blades of aircraft engines, nickel-based high-temperature alloys can withstand the impact of high-temperature and high-pressure gas to ensure efficient and stable engine operation.

2. Nickel-based corrosion-resistant alloys: the main alloying elements of copper, chromium, molybdenum, has a good overall performance, a variety of acid corrosion and stress corrosion with excellent resistance. Among them, nickel-copper alloy (also known as monel alloy) is the earliest application of nickel-based corrosion-resistant alloys. In addition, there are nickel-chromium alloys, nickel-molybdenum alloys, nickel-chromium-molybdenum alloys and so on. These alloys are commonly used in the manufacture of various types of corrosion-resistant parts, such as chemical industry reactors, pipelines, ocean engineering seawater treatment equipment, etc., are a large number of nickel-based corrosion-resistant alloys to resist the harsh corrosive environment.

3. Nickel-based wear-resistant alloys: mainly add chromium, molybdenum, tungsten and other elements, also contains a small amount of niobium, tantalum and indium. It not only has excellent wear resistance, but also performs well in oxidation resistance, corrosion resistance and welding performance. Nickel-based wear-resistant alloys can be used in the manufacture of wear-resistant parts, such as wear-resistant gears, bushings, etc.; can also be used as a cladding material, through the cladding and spraying process, covered in the surface of other base materials, to enhance the wear-resistant properties of the base material.

4. Nickel-based precision alloys: including nickel-based soft magnetic alloys, nickel-based precision resistance alloys and nickel-based electrothermal alloys. In nickel-based soft magnetic alloy, containing nickel 80% or so of the most commonly used Bomol alloy, its maximum permeability and starting permeability is high, low coercivity, is an important material for the production of iron cores in the electronics industry. Nickel-based precision resistance alloys mainly add chromium, aluminum, copper and other elements, with high resistivity, low resistivity temperature coefficient and good corrosion resistance, commonly used in the production of resistors. Nickel-based electric heating alloy usually contains chromium 20%, with good resistance to oxidation, corrosion resistance, can be in the 1000 – 1100 ℃ high temperature for long-term use, commonly used in various types of heating equipment.

5. Nickel-based shape memory alloy: nickel alloy containing 50 (at)% titanium as a representative of the recovery temperature of 70 ℃, shape memory effect is good. Through a small change in the proportion of nickel and titanium components, the recovery temperature can be flexibly adjusted in the range of 30-100℃. Nickel-based shape memory alloys are used in the aerospace field to manufacture automatically opened structural parts and self-excited fasteners on spacecraft; in the biomedical field, they can be used to make artificial heart motors, etc., showing unique application value.

In recent years, the field of nickel alloys has continued to emerge innovative achievements. TISCO Xinhai successfully launched N06625 nickel-based alloy hot rolls, with a single weight of more than 14 tons, which overcame worldwide problems and realized the whole process from smelting to rolling, and became the only enterprise in China and the third in the world to have the whole process of mass production of nickel-based alloy N06625 wide-width coils and plates. The National Key Laboratory of Nickel and Cobalt Co-associated Resource Development and Comprehensive Utilization, in conjunction with Jinchuan Group, has completed the industrialized trial production of 500kg nickel-based Inconel 617 alloy ingots for nuclear power generation by adopting the dual process of vacuum induction smelting and vacuum self-consumption smelting, laying the foundation for the subsequent hot-rolling process of the plates and large-scale production. The NS334 and NS336 hot rolled wide plates of nickel-based alloys developed by HISCO Materials Institute were delivered to customers, breaking the foreign monopoly and solving the rolling problems caused by the sensitivity of nickel-based alloys to temperature. Shanghai Yilang Alloy realized partial substitution of nickel alloy by localization through technological innovation, which reduced the price of similar imported products by half.

With the continuous progress of science and technology, nickel alloy will play a key role in more emerging fields, injecting new vitality into the development of various industries. Nickel alloy will play a key role in more emerging fields, injecting new vitality into the development of various industries. In the aerospace field, nickel alloy will help aircraft to challenge higher performance, in the energy field, nickel alloy will support the efficient and stable operation of new energy development equipment, and in the medical field, nickel alloy will provide high-quality materials for medical device innovation. The future of nickel alloy is full of infinite possibilities and deserves our continuous attention and expectation.