Inconel is the Chinese transliteration of English Inconel. This is the collective name for a group of austenitic superalloys based on nickel and chromium.
The Inconel series was first developed in the 1940s as a product developed by Wiggin Alloys in Hereford, England, to support research related to the Whittle jet engine.
The plant was later acquired by American Special Metals Corporation.
◆Characteristics of Inconel
Inconel has similar characteristics to Hastelloy, or that's why super alloys are called "super": they are more resistant to oxidation and corrosion than other metallic materials.
While conventional structural metal materials (such as steel, aluminum, etc.) are exposed to high temperatures, lattice hole defects often begin to occur within the crystal, resulting in severe creep. In layman's terms, this means that at high temperatures, the strength of the structure is reduced, causing the manufactured products to lose their original functions.
◆Characteristics and principles of Inconel alloy
(1)Corrosion resistance:
When Inconel is heated, the surface of the alloy is passivated to form a thick and stable passivation oxide layer, protecting the interior of the alloy from corrosion.
(2)High-temperature resistance:
Various types of Inconel use solid solution strengthening or precipitation hardening mechanisms to maintain good mechanical properties at high temperatures. Inconel can maintain good mechanical properties over a wide temperature range.
This makes Inconel suitable for use in a variety of high-temperature, high-pressure, and harsh environments. This is something that conventional structural metal materials such as steel and aluminum cannot achieve.
◆Adviсe
1. In technology, Inconel is sometimes called "Inco" (or misspelled "iconel"). Common trade names for Inconel 625 alloy include:
Inconel 625, Chronin 625, Altemp 625, Haynes 625, Nickelvac 625 Nicrofer 6020, etc.
2. Different models of Inconel have very different chemical compositions, but all of them are composed of nickel, and the second is made of chromium.
3. For these Inconel, which use precipitation or age strengthening as the strengthening mechanism, small amounts of niobium and nickel combine to form an intermetallic compound Ni3Nb called the γ' phase.
The γ' phase will grow into small cubic unit cells, effectively preventing slip and creep at high temperatures. The γ' phase increases with time, especially after 3 hours of exposure to a thermal environment of 850°C, and continues to increase after 72 hours of exposure.
This is the basic principle of Inconel's resistance to high temperatures.
◆Typical Applications and Processing
In the next issue, we will introduce you to the application knowledge of Inconel alloys, including the main grades of Inconel alloys, as well as usage characteristics, connections, machining, and other aspects.
As a superalloy, Inconel not only represents a very high technical level in the production of raw materials but its reasonable processing and use is also very important.
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