Smart Alloys

Nickel and Nickel Alloys

Nickel has been used in alloys that date back to the dawn of civilization. Chemical analysis of artifacts has shown that weapons, tools, and coins contain nickel in varying amounts.

Nickel in elemental form or alloyed with other metals and materials has made significant contributions to our present-day society and promises to continue to supply materials for an even more demanding future.

Nickel is a versatile element and will alloy with most metals. Complete solid solubility exists between nickel and copper. Wide solubility ranges between iron, chromium, and nickel make possible many alloy combinations.

Applications and Characteristics of Nickel Alloys

Nickel and nickel alloys are used for a wide variety of applications, the majority of which involve corrosion resistance and/or heat resistance. Some of these include:

...

This is a preview of the whole essay

Applications and Characteristics of Nickel Alloys

Nickel and nickel alloys are used for a wide variety of applications, the majority of which involve corrosion resistance and/or heat resistance. Some of these include:

Aircraft gas turbines
Steam turbine power plants
Medical applications
Nuclear power systems
Chemical and petrochemical industries

A number of other applications for nickel alloys involve the unique physical properties of special-purpose nickel-base or high-nickel alloys. These include:

Low-expansion alloys
Electrical resistance alloys
Soft magnetic alloys
Shape memory alloys

Commercial Nickel and Nickel Alloys

The commercial forms of nickel and nickel-base alloys are fully austenitic and are used/selected mainly for their resistance to high temperature and aqueous corrosion.

Commercially Pure and Low-Alloy Nickels. Nickel is supplied to the producers of nickel alloys in powder, pellets, or anode forms. This has led to a whole series ofalloy modifications, with controlled compositions having nickel contents ranging from about 94% to virtually 100%.

These materials are characterized by high density, offering magnetic and electronic property capabilities. They also offer excellent corrosion resistance to reducing environments, along with reasonable thermal transfer characteristics. Some nickels of commercial importance include: Nickel 200, Nickel 201, Nickel 205, Nickel 270 and 290, Permanickel Alloy 300, Duranickel Alloy 301.

Nickel-copper alloys have been found to possess excellent corrosion resistance in reducing chemical environments and in sea water, where they deliver excellent service in nuclear submarines and various surface vessels. By changing the various proportions of nickel and copper in the alloy, a whole series of alloys with different electrical resistivities and Curie points can be created.

Peer Reviews

Here's what a star student thought of this essay

skatealexia

25th of Jul 2012

Quality of writing

I don't think the abstract should be labelled in yellow as whilst this is a good addition to the essay as it tells the reader everything before starting like a good presentation should, the colour is very loud. Spelling, grammar and punctuation to a good standard.

Level of analysis

The introduction repeats the abstract so I am not sure an abstract is particularly important in this instance for such a short essay but it is good to get an overview of the topic. The properties of nickel are not discussed as extensively as they should and their alloys before delving into uses as this would have given light on why the nickel is used in such an instance. The nickel properties have been discussed in some details in later paragraphs but I feel this should have come before and should have been related to the uses more thoroughly

Response to question

The response to the question is done reasonably well. The candidate introduces the concept of nickel but I believe the elements and the alloy forms should have been outlined in more detail to gain a better understanding of the metal. The uses and properties are outlined in good depth, but the structure should be played with as stated below.

Did you find this review helpful? Join our team of reviewers and help other students learn