Inconel® is a registered trademark of Special Metals Corporation referring to a family of austenitic nickel-based superalloys. Inconel alloys are typically used in high temperature applications. A trademark, trade mark, â„¢ or ®[1] is a distinctive sign of some kind which is used by a business to uniquely identify itself and its products and services to consumers, and to distinguish the business and its products or services from those of other businesses. ... Special Metals Corporation, headquarted in Huntington, West Virginia, is a supplier of refractory alloys. ... Iron-carbon phase diagram, showing the conditions under which austenite (γ) is stable in carbon steel. ... General Name, Symbol, Number nickel, Ni, 28 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 10, 4, d Appearance lustrous, metallic Atomic mass 58. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Superalloy. ...

Properties

Inconel alloys possess several properties making them well suited for service in extreme environments. Inconel is very resistant to oxidation and corrosion. When heated, inconel forms a thick, stable, passivating oxide layer, protecting it from further attack.

Inconel retains strength over a wide range of temperatures. This makes it particularly attractive in high temperature applications where aluminum and steel would "soften". Inconel's high temperature strength is attained by solid solution strengthening or precipitation strengthening (depending on the alloy). In precipitation strengthening varieties, small amounts of columbium (niobium) combine with nickel to form the intermetallic compound Ni₃Nb or gamma prime (γ'). Gamma prime forms small cubic crystals that inhibit slip and creep very efficiently at elevated temperatures. Fig. ... Precipitation hardening is a heat treatment technique used to strengthen malleable materials, especially non-ferrous alloys including most structural alloys of aluminium and titanium. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Niobium, Nb, 41 Chemical series Transition metals Group, Period, Block 5, 5 , d Density, Hardness 8570 kg/m3, 6 Appearance grey metallic Atomic properties Atomic weight 92. ... Intermetallics is concerned with all aspects of ordered chemical compounds between two or more metals and notably with their applications. ...

Uses

Inconel is often encountered in extreme environments. It is common in gas turbine blades, seals, and combustors, as well as turbocharger rotors and seals, high temperature fasteners, chemical processing and pressure vessels, heat exchanger tubing, and firearm sound suppressor blast baffles. ^{[verification needed]}

Inconel Alloys

• Inconel 600 - Solid solution strengthened
• Inconel 625 - Acid resistant
• Inconel 690 - Low cobalt content for nuclear applications
• Inconel 718 - Gamma prime strengthened with good weldability