Nickel (Ni) is a chemical element with an atomic number of 28 and is placed in group 10 of the periodic table. It is a silvery-white transition metal with a slight golden tinge and is abundant in the earth's crust. It is found in the earth's interior, mainly in the core and in various minerals or meteorites. Nickel is mainly used in stainless steel and in the formation of other alloys that are resistant to corrosion. The largest producers of nickel are the following: Indonesia, New Caledonia, the Philippines, Australia, China, Canada and Russia.
Characteristics of nickel
- It is a good conductor of both heat and electricity and is resistant to high temperatures and electricity.
- It is a dense metal like iron, osmium or iridium.
- Its melting point is 1455 ºC, and its density is 8908 kg/m3.
- Being a very malleable and ductile metal, it can be easily forged, rolled and polished.
Nickel alloys
Nickel alloys are used to improve certain properties depending on the intended use. The following groups of nickel alloys can be found:
Nickel
Depending on the degree of purity, the following alloy types can be classified:
- Anodes (Nickel 99.3%).
- Electrolytic (Nickel 99.56%).
- Commercially pure nickel (Nickel between 99.6-99.97%).
- Nickel carbonyl powders and tablets (Nickel 99.95%).
Within these alloys are perman nickel and duranickel.
Nickel and copper
- Alloys with low nickel content (Nickel 2-13%).
- Cupro-nickels (Nickel 10-30%).
- Coin alloys (Nickel 25%).
- Controlled Electrical Resistance Alloys (Nickel 45%).
- Non-magnetic alloys (Nickel up to 60%).
Within this group is monel, a 2:1 nickel-copper alloy by weight.
Nickel, iron and chromium
- Heat resistant alloys (Nickel 40-85%).
- Controlled electrical resistance alloys (Nickel 35-60%).
- Iron-based superalloys (Nickel 0.2-9%).
- Iron-based superalloys (Nickel 9-26%).
- Stainless steels (Nickel 2-25%).
- High nickel martensitic steels (Ni 18%).
Nickel and iron
- Forged steels (Nickel 0.5-9%).
- Alloy cast steels (Nickel 0.5-9%).
- Alloy cast irons (Nickel 1-6% and 14-36%).
- Magnetic alloys (Nickel 20-90%).
- Non-magnetic alloys (Nickel 10-20%).
- Stainless Steel Clad Steels (Nickel 5-49%).
- Iron-based superalloys (Nickel 0.2-9%).
There are also controlled thermal expansion alloys, which can be divided into two other groups:
- Low coefficient (Nickel 36-50%)
- Selected expansion (Nickel 22-50%): They are called Nile 42, Ni-Span- C 902, and a series of Incoloy.
Nickel, chromium, molybdenum, and iron
- Those used for alloys strengthened by nickel-based solutions (Ni 40-80%).
- Those used for nickel-based precipitation strengthened alloys (Ni 40-90%).
Their names would be: Astroloy Udimet, Hastelloy, MAR-M- 252, Rene, Inconel, and Waspaloy.
So-called nickel-based superalloys can also be found.
Nickel recycling
Nickel can be recycled without any loss of quality, which is why it is so important to recycle it. When this metal is recycled, its second life is mainly as stainless steel and also as carbon steel. Even so, a large amount of the metal is still not recycle.
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