Nickel

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One of the transition elements, nickel is often combined with other elements in order to form various alloys and compounds. The most common alloy nickel is used in the formation of is stainless steel, which is composed of mostly iron and approximately 18% chromium and 8% nickel. Nickel suppliers typically have in stock nickel metal alloys such as nickel 200 (which is made of 99.6% nickel) in the form of nickel sheet, nickel plate, nickel rods or nickel bars; however, some nickel suppliers may supply nickel tubing although a nickel fabrication company is far more likely. Since nickel can be found in a wide range of metals, it is utilized in a correspondingly vast number of industries including: coinage, as nickel is used to form many different countries' currency including the Euro, used in the European Union and the nickel, used in the United States; industrial, used for components such as fittings and valves as well as in processes such as electroless nickel plating; electronics, used in rechargeable batteries, certain kinds of lightbulbs and microwave tubes; and military, for use in missile components and cases for rocket motors.

In addition to stainless steel, nickel is also used to make various other metal alloys including Invar®, Monel®, Kovar®, Nichrome®, Inconel® and the various Hastelloys®. The three elements that are most commonly used on this list are Monel®, Kovar® and Inconel®. Monel® is the general name for a series of nickel alloys that have a composition of nickel (of approximately 67%), copper, iron and minute amounts of other elements. Although Monel® is very difficult to machine because it instantly hardens in reaction heat, it is often used in marine applications such as trolling wire, pump shafts and seawater valves due to its incredible corrosion resistance. Kovar® is also a term that encompasses a wide variety of nickel alloys that are compatible with the thermal expansion characteristics of borosilicate glass. Kovar® is mainly composed of nickel and cobalt, with minute amounts of silicone, manganese and copper, and is a ferrous alloy. Commonly used in electronics applications, Kovar® is often used as electroplated conductors for parts such as vacuum tubes and x-ray tubes. Also referring to a family of nickel alloys, Inconel® is actually a superalloy, meaning that it is a high performance alloy. Exhibiting exceptional heat-resistance, Inconel® is composed mainly of nickel, chromium, molybdenum and niobium, with trace amounts of cobalt, manganese, copper, aluminum, titanium, silicone, carbon, sulfur, phosphorus and boron.

Since nickel is a naturally occurring element, it must be mined from deep within the earth instead of synthetically created in a lab. Called nickel ore, there are two main types or ore deposits: laterites, which are mainly composed of nickeliferous limonite and garnierite, and magmatic sulfide deposts, which are primarily composed of the ore mineral pentlandite. Nickel ore deposits are dominated by Russia, producing 40% of the world's supply, Canada, producing 30% and other countries with smaller production percentages include France, Cuba, Australia, New Caledonia and Indonesia. Nickel ore is extracted from deposits through the process of extractive metallurgy, in which the raw metal material is extracted from the ore and purified into a refined form. The most common way the raw material is extracted is though pyrometallurgical extraction, but recent developments have made hydrometallurgy another viable process. Using conventional roasting and reduction processes, the refined form of nickel is able to yield a purity of greater than 75%. However, this level of purity can be increased through further processing. The Mond process, in which nickel oxides (nickel combined with oxygen) are converted into purified nickel, is able to achieve a purity of 99%. The nickel produced during this process is known as carbonyl nickel because carbon monoxide is utilized in the process.

After nickel has been refined, there is a variety of fabrication processes that can be used to shape the nickel into various shapes and parts for further use. One shaping process that is used for nickel, although it is not especially common, is extrusion. In nickel extrusion, nickel is heated to a molten state and then shaped by forcing the pliable nickel through a die. Nickel extrusion can produce nickel sheets, bars, rods and tubing. A more common process of shaping nickel is cold drawing. In cold drawing, no heat is added to the process, but a nickel tube or wire is drawn through a series of smaller and smaller dies, in order to reduce its diameter. The most common process that nickel is used in is a chemical reduction process referred to as electroless nickel plating. In electroless nickel plating, a catalytic reduction process of nickel ions occurs in an aqueous solution that contains a chemical reducing agent. As a result, nickel metal is deposited without requiring electrical energy. The main cause of the deposition of nickel ions as well as their reduction is the chemical reducing agent within the solution. In addition, the nickel ion deposits are very uniform in thickness in terms of both shape and size because the driving potential of the chemical reducing agent is constant at all points of the surface of the component, as long as the agitation is enough to ensure a uniform concentration of nickel ions and the reducing agent.

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Nickel Types

• Brushed nickel is a finish created by a rough surface going over the metal to create very small patterned lines, making a distinctive look, yet retaining its metallic luster.
  
• Casting alloys are alloys used to form objects in molds, and they are more easily molded than other alloys.
  
• Cupro nickel is a nickel alloy made up of nickel, copper, iron and manganese (or other strengthening impurities). It does not corrode in seawater and is used in various marine applications.
• Inconel is a nickel-base alloy, but also has chromium and iron, and it is used in gas turbine blades.
  
• Invar is a trademark alloy of nickel and iron and is usually used in tuning forks, measuring tapes and other instruments.
• Kovar is a registered trademark that refers to a low expansion alloy that is composed of iron, nickel, cobalt and trace amounts of the elements manganese, silicone and carbon.
• Monel is a trademark alloy made up of mostly nickel, as well as copper, iron and other trace elements. It cannot be corroded by acids, and it can withstand fire in pure oxygen, but it is hard to machine because it hardens instantly.
• Nichrome is a nickel-chromium alloy used for resistance heating elements because it can withstand high temperatures and has a high electrical resistance.
• Nickel 200 refers to wrought nickel that is commercially pure (99.6%).
• Nickel alloys are alloys made up of more nickel than anything else.
  
• Nickel bars and rods are straight, solid products of nickel or nickel alloys that can be extruded. These products can have a variety of shapes, circular, triangular, square and more.
  
• Nickel metal is an element listed on the periodic table that is silver in color and both ductile and malleable.
• Nickel plates consist of rolled nickel and are used as a component in buildings and bridges.
  
• Nickel pricing is usually only quoted for a short period-usually less than a week long-as the price of nickel alters regularly.
• Nickel rod refers to a solid, straight bar that can be either round or square, although round is much more common, and is composed of either high purity nickel or nickel-based alloys.
• Nickel sheet is a flat plane composed of nickel or nickel alloys.
• Nickel suppliers provide high purity nickel and nickel alloys, which share characteristics such as malleability, somewhat ferromagnetic, hardness, ductility, and electrical and heat-conductivity, to diverse companies for further processing.
• Nickel tubing is a hollow, cylindrical or rectangular rod that can be used as equipment components or to transport fluids or gases.
• Permalloy is an 80/20 alloy of nickel and iron which is easily demagnetized and magnetized.

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Nickel Grades

Material	Tensile Strength at Break (MPa)	Tensile Strength, Yield (MPa)	Modulus of Elasticity (ksi)
Pure Nickel	45.0 - 317	59	30000
All Nickel Alloys	45.0 - 2070	59.0 - 4830	4060 - 34100
Nitinol - High-Temperature Phase	754 - 960	560	10900
Nitinol - Low-Temperature Phase	754 - 960	100	4060
Inconel	621 - 1550	195 - 1390	25700 - 32100
Kovar	517	345	20000
Monel	385 - 1100	134 - 790	~24500
Nickel 200	379	103	10900 - 28000

*These figures are guidelines based on industry research; they should not be presumed accurate under all circumstances and are not a substitute for certified measurements. The information is not to be interpreted as absolute material properties nor does it constitute a representation or warranty for which we assume legal liability. User shall determine suitability of the material for the intended use and assumes all risk and liability whatsoever in connection therewith.

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Nickel Terms

Alloy - A combination of two or more metallic elements that are usually dissolved into each other or fused together.

Cold Forming - Deformation of a metal at a low enough temperature to prevent re-crystallization during cooling.

Conductivity - A metal's ability to conduct electricity. Nickel is a good conductor, and therefore is used in wires.

Ductility - The capability of a metal, such as nickel, to allow deformation or shaping before finally fracturing.

Electroless Nickel Plating - A process in which nickel coating is applied to a surface in a controlled chemical reduction. Electrons used are not supplied electrically, but by a chemical reducing agent.

Electroplating - A process by which metal ions are attracted to a solid metal electrode. As the ions bind to the surface of the metal, they become a thin coating, which forms a protective layer to prevent corrosion.

Extractive Metallurgy - The process of purifying and recycling metal that was extracted from ore.

Ferromagnetic - It is the most familiar form of magnetism. Permanent magnets are ferromagnetic, and so are the metals that are attracted to them, such as nickel.

Hydride - Any binary compound of hydrogen and another element.

Malleable - The characteristic of some metals, meaning they have the ability to be shaped or formed by applying pressure.

Non-ferrous - A type of metal which does not contain iron.

Oxidation - The reaction in which oxygen is added and causes the removal of electrons from the reactant.

Superalloy - An alloy with a base element of nickel, nickel-iron or cobalt, which has corrosion resistance, ability to withstand high temperatures, mechanical strength and good surface stability.

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