Nickel Base Castings and Nickel Alloy Castings

Nickel-base castings are used primarily for their superior heat-resistant and corrosive-resistant qualities. These castings are essential in environments where durability and reliability are critical, making them ideal for a variety of industrial applications.

Applications of Nickel Base Castings:

  • High-temperature environments (above 1200° F)
  • Corrosive service conditions

In North America, the designations for cast stainless steel and nickel-based alloys are descriptive of their chemistry and purpose. A designation beginning with the letter “C” indicates that the alloy is used primarily for corrosive service. If the first letter is “H”, the alloy is typically used for high-temperature service at or above 1200° F.

Nickel base castings are vital in industries such as aerospace, chemical processing, and power generation due to their exceptional properties. Their durability and resistance to extreme conditions ensure long-term performance and reliability, reducing maintenance costs and downtime.

  • Nickel Base Castings
  • Nickel Base Castings
  • Nickel Base Castings

Benefits of Nickel Base Castings:

  1. Heat Resistance: Ideal for high-temperature applications.
  2. Corrosion Resistance: Effective in harsh environments.
  3. Durability: Long-lasting in extreme conditions.
  4. Versatility: Suitable for a wide range of industrial uses.

Common high-nickel alloys include Monel, Inconel, and Hastelloy.

Monel 

The common designation for a group of nickel base castings and nickel alloys, primarily composed of nickel and copper, with small amounts of iron, manganese, carbon, and silicon. Stronger than pure nickel, Monel alloys are resistant to corrosion by many agents, including rapidly flowing seawater. Compared to steel, Monel is very difficult to machine as it work-hardens very quickly. It needs to be turned and worked at slow speeds and low feed rates.

Applications of Monel:

  • Marine engineering
  • Chemical and hydrocarbon processing
  • Heat exchangers and pumps

Inconel

Sometimes called “Inco,” is a family of austenitic nickel-chromium-based superalloys. Inconel alloys are oxidation and corrosion-resistant and are well suited for service in extreme environments subjected to pressure and heat. When heated, Inconel forms a thick, stable, passivating oxide layer protecting the surface from further attack. Inconel retains strength over a wide temperature range, making it attractive for high-temperature applications where aluminum and steel would succumb to creep as a result of thermally induced crystal vacancies. Inconel’s high-temperature strength is developed by solid solution strengthening or precipitation hardening, depending on the alloy.

Inconel alloys are typically used in high-temperature applications. Common trade names for Inconel Alloy 625 include: Inconel 625, Chronin 625, Altemp 625, Haynes 625, Nickelvac 625, and Nicrofer 6020.

Applications of Inconel:

Hastelloy

The primary function of the Hastelloy super alloys is that of effective survival under high-temperature, high-stress service in a moderately to severely corrosive, and/or erosion-prone environment where more common and less expensive iron-based alloys would fail, including the pressure vessels, chemical reactors, distillation equipment, and pipes and valves in the chemical industry.

Although a superalloy, Hastelloy does experience degradation due to fabricating and handling. Another extremely versatile of the ternary alloy nickel systems is the nickel-chromium-molybdenum (Ni-Cr-Mo) system, common to Hastelloy C grades. The chromium and molybdenum provide resistance to oxidizing and reducing acids, and they also work synergistically to provide outstanding resistance to the chloride-induced phenomena of pitting, crevice attack, and stress corrosion cracking. The remaining two families, nickel-chromium-iron (Ni-Cr-Fe) and nickel-iron-chromium (Ni-Fe-Cr), were designed to bridge the performance and cost gaps between the Ni-Cr alloys and the austenitic stainless steels. Their benefits over the stainless steels include enhanced resistance to stress corrosion cracking.

Applications of Hastelloy:

  • Chemical reactors
  • Pressure vessels
  • Distillation equipment
Source Materials

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If you’re looking for a reliable partner for your nickel base and nickel alloy casting needs, Quaker City Castings is here to help. Visit our contact us page directly to discuss how we can assist you. We are dedicated to providing solutions that enhance the efficiency and productivity of your operations.

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