Nickel

Nickel-based alloys offer an excellent combination of oxidation and corrosion resistance, mechanical strength, metallurgical stability and toughness, in addition to good forming and welding properties.

Pure nickel is mainly used for the manufacturing process for sodium hydroxide, in the electronics and food industries, and for electrolytic plating.

Nickel alloys are categorized into several groups, mainly Monel® (Ni-Cu alloys), Hastelloy® B (Ni-Mo alloys), Inconel-Incoloy-Hastelloy® C (Ni-Cr-Mo-W alloys), and Inconel® (Ni-Cr-Fe and Ni-Fe-Cr alloys).

In fact, depending on their chemical composition and their hardening mechanisms, nickel alloys can be specifically intended for high temperature use, corrosion resistance, or both.

Most solid-solution strengthening alloys are intended for applications requiring good corrosion resistance, while age-hardenable alloys are more often used for parts undergoing high thermal and mechanical stresses. However, some solid-solution strengthening alloys such as Inconel 625® or Inconel 617® can be used for both conditions.

Age-hardenable nickel-base alloys exhibit lower weldability than solid-solution hardening alloys because of their hot cracking susceptibility. In such a case, it is recommended to weld these alloys either in the annealed condition or in the overaged condition to prevent cracking risks.

Contact our metallurgists, to get the right alloy for your welding project.

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