As a family, the Ni-based alloys are used in many engineering fields for their corrosion resistance and high-temperature performance.Some alloysare used
in electrical applications (e.g. heating elements). The magnetic characteristics of certain alloys are utilized in transformer components. A few alloys have controlled-expansion and constant-modulus properties (bimetals, thermostats, glass sealing, precision equipment). Others were developed for specific applications (hydrogen storage) or to exploit a particular peculiarity (shape-memory effect). There are also a number of alloys used as welding and brazing filler materials. Some Ni-based
materials are applied as coatings or hard facings to other materials to provide wear or corrosion resistance.
Nickel plating appears in many applications (e.g. electronics, thermal control and corrosion protection).
Ni-alloys are applied to subsystems requiring corrosion resistance (storage and delivery systems); high-temperature performance, often combined with oxidation resistance (propulsion units -- gas turbines and rocket motors, power generation, heat-exchangers and turbines);
high-reliability, high-strength fasteners.
Magnetic alloys find a limited but important role. "Memory alloys" can be used as
actuators.
Nickel-based materials can be grouped by principal alloying additions. However, alloys within one composition grouping can be used in more than one general application group. For example: the majority of nickel-iron-chromiumalloys in the Inconel andIncoloy series are nowapplied to elevated-temperature service, except two which are primarily used for
their corrosion resistance.
The main use of commercially pure nickel is in platings (by electro- or electroless deposition) to provide corrosion protection to the underlying substrate materials. Electroless nickel can be hardened to provide abrasion resistance whilst retaining corrosion resistance. Nickel provides elevated-temperaturecorrosion resistance to many acids. As it is ferromagnetic, care is needed in its use in some applications(electronics). |
