Inconel® Alloy 600 (UNS N06600): A super alloy with endless industrial applications
Alloy 600 is an excellent choice for a variety of applications. It is a high-resistance material to corrosion and heat, and its high thermal conductivity means that it has a low thermal expansion coefficient. These properties make it suitable for use in a range of applications. It finds use in aircraft engines and cars and energy and chemical plant equipment applications. Alloy 600 is a material of choice in thermal protection and wastewater heat recovery. It is also used for heat exchangers, combustion chambers, and pool heaters.
WHAT IS Alloy 600?
INCONEL® (nickel-chromium-iron) Alloy 600 is a nickel, chromium, and iron alloy that works well in vacuum applications and other high-temperature environments. Nickel is the primary alloying addition, though manufacturers often supplement it with chromium, silicon, or other elements. Alloy 600 is one of the most popular alloys in the superalloys category due to its superior corrosion resistance, high heat conductivity, and high stability at elevated temperatures.
The base metal also retains excellent ductility and good machinability characteristics throughout most of its composition range. It has excellent corrosion resistance in several environments, including hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, concentrated Sulfuric acid, salt spray, fluorine gas, oxidizing chloride atmospheres, oxidizing fluoride atmospheres, oxidizing nitrous oxide atmospheres, and hydrogen sulfide at elevated temperatures.
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
Designers, processors, and molders will appreciate the performance of Alloy 600. In addition to its favorable heat treatment meeting ASTM F1055, The Alloy 600 mechanical properties outlined below are equally notable.
The yield strength of Alloy 600 in the annealed condition is moderate and ranges from 25,000 to 50,000 psi (172 to 345 MPa). Depending on the application, different annealing processes may be used to achieve the desired property profile. For instance, significantly higher strengths up to about 220,000 psi (551 MPa) are achieved by cold-forming The alloy. In the as-rolled or annealed condition, The alloy is nonmagnetic.
TENSILE PROPERTIES
Alloy 600 is super ductile, easy to cold form, and exhibits good corrosion resistance. It can be fabricated by most standard metalworking processes and by thermal treatment. In one test, an Alloy 600 rod had a tensile strength of 60,290 psi. It had a yield strength of 51,570 psi, a hardness of Brinell 218, and a specific gravity of 7.65. After forging, the tensile strength was 60,290 psi. The material elongated 4.6 % after forging. The yield strength was 51,570 psi. The hardness was 218 Brinell, and the specific gravity was 7.65.
Its high strength extends high tensile, excellent ductility and fatigue strength, excellent welding properties, and excellent corrosion resistance. The Alloy 600 is available in various grades to meet specific industrial machinery and aircraft components applications.
IMPACT STRENGTH
Alloy 600 has an impact strength of 160-180 ft-lb per 13mm of plate thickness. Unequaled for structural use in railroad cars, trailers, bridge components, and roofing materials. It can attain higher formability results with new impregnation and annealing processes.
It withstands higher impact and stress than other types of stainless steel—yet it’s lighter. You can use this material for machine parts, given its perfect balance of strength, formability, and weldability. The secret is in the strength-to-weight ratio, which makes parts made from Alloy 600 weigh up to 40 percent less than those made of other types of metal.
FATIGUE STRENGTH
The fatigue strength is the stress at which material begins to break. It is measured in KSI and kgf/mm2. Where higher values reflect a greater resistance to fatigue failure. The Fatigue Strength of Alloy 600 at room temperature is between 34.3 KSI and 73.0 KSI (206 and 375 kilogram per square millimeter).
To take your rides to the extreme, Alloy 600 delivers across the board. It’s proven itself in aerospace and defense applications, and it’s now finding widespread use in bicycle frames like Grade Fatigue. It is stronger than normal 6061-grade aluminum and has a higher fatigue strength rating than 7005. No matter what you’re riding, it’ll last longer with Alloy 600.
CREEP AND RUPTURE
The first thing to note about Alloy 600 is its ability to creep in the as-welded condition. Due to time and temperature, the long-term creep or strain has a value of 0.0028/in./in. for Type 114W, vs. 0.0015/in./in. for the base material. So we can expect this alloy to modify its shape slightly over time.
(That’s good!) However, the short-term “accelerated” creep or strain due to rapidly changing energy states or shocks has a very low value of 9x10E-13 lbf/in3 hour per degree F below 550 F and 4x10E-13 above 550F.
CORROSION RESISTANCE
Low-temperature applications like cryogenics, fruit freezing, and food processing require a special type of metal. Alloy 600 offers exceptional corrosion resistance at low temperatures. It also provides consistent chemical integrity, dimensional stability, and ease of performing in your environment.
Alloy 600 can withstand the harshest industrial applications. It has a chemical formula that resists corrosion and maintains strength in various extreme environments. It is resistant to most industrial corrosives except oxidizing acids and caustic alkalis. Corrosion resistance means that this alloy retains its integrity even when exposed to water or other corrosive elements, such as salt water and acids.
STRESS-CORROSION CRACKING
Both austenitic chromium-nickel stainless steel plates and martensitic chromium-nickel stainless steels are susceptible to stress-corrosion cracking. Stress-corrosion cracking of Alloy 600 was first reported in the early 1970s, with an increase in crack initiation rate observed for certain heat treatments. The cause was later identified as the precipitation of Al3Ti-phase particles, which grow preferentially on grain boundaries during aging at 400C or higher temperatures.
Subsequent work has shown that crack initiation depends on a complex set of conditions that include liquid composition, solid concentration, properties, and temperature. Many different tempers are susceptible to cracking when exposed to high temperatures in liquid alloys. Still, some contain more Al3Ti particles than others, and the rate of crack propagation increases sharply in the presence of chlorides and mercury.
OIL AND GAS EXTRACTION
Alloy 600 is a vital metal for the oil and gas industry. It helps protect the wells by lowering their friction from the metal casing and lowering the temperatures when it comes into contact with the hot water or chemicals used in producing fossil fuels.
It can be used in all types of upstream oil and gas projects, as it has been shown to be resistant to corrosion, erosion, and deposit accumulation. The alloy is also incredibly resistant to abrasion and wear, which is why it can be relied on as a material of choice in steel products.
AEROSPACE AND AUTOMOTIVE
Alloy 600 has been used since the 1970s to perform flawlessly in high-heat environments, withstanding temperatures up to 2000 degrees F. With its wide range of applications and capabilities, Alloy 600 is particularly well-suited for applications in aerospace or automotive engines.
It’s also used as glass fabric braid shielding in induction furnaces, as it is fire-resistant and offers superior heat transfer. It can be used in extreme environments requiring a metal that resists high temperatures and corrosive environments. This metal works well in high-temperature lead frames or wire bond assemblies when required for electronics applications.
PRESSURE VESSELS
Alloy 600 enables industries to create components for low-temperature applications, such as aircraft skins, pressure vessels, and other aerospace components. The material also offers a wide spectrum of mechanical properties at temperatures as low as -200C/-328F.
The combination of Aluminium and Sulfur and the low-temperature work hardening characteristics can lead to unique performance levels for both high-strength semi-finished products and machined finished components such as Extrusions, Forgings, and Castings.
POLLUTION CONTROL AND WASTE PROCESSING
In wastewater treatment, a general rule of thumb is this: it’s better to use alloys resistant to both oxidizing and reducing acid solutions. However, it’s also important to remember that other factors influence choosing a metal. The ability to resist corrosion from salt spray and seawater, for instance, is also a good idea.
Alloy 600 is used in pollution control and waste processing applications for its excellent oxidation resistance, high-temperature strength, and general resistance to corrosive environments. Unsurpassed as a reinforcing bar due to its high strength and moderate stiffness, Alloy 600 is ideal for use in complex wastewater processing structures that require repeated exposure to adverse conditions. It is also used in superheaters or reheaters wherever exceptional resistance to attack by concentrated sulfuric and hydrochloric acids is needed.
MARINE APPLICATIONS
Alloy 600 is a special material for producing marine hardware and fittings used in shipbuilding, oil drilling rigs, and other marine applications. Most boat trailer axles are made with Alloy 600 to minimize their weight, so they don’t drag the whole boat down. It can be rolled into sheets like any other carbon steel alloy by cold rolling or hot rolling processes.
The alloy is used to build offshore platforms, chemical and petroleum plants, and other submerged structures stationed above the ocean floor to provide a foundation for drilling or oil and natural gas production activities. INCONEL® Alloy 600’s high nickel content stabilizes it against sensitization and makes it the ideal material for down-hole applications, such as drilling pipes, casings, and sleeves. Its ability to resist corrosion makes it suitable for deep-water oil exploration and offshore platforms.
IN A NUTSHELL
The quality of Alloy 600 products offers a combination of strength, ductility, and ability to resist stress-corrosion cracking. Assuring you of high mechanical properties and uniformity in material properties over time. The PM process allows closer control of alloying elements and eliminates impurities such as sulfur that exist naturally in iron. With its unique composition of iron with chromium, nickel, manganese, and silicon, Alloy 600 has exceptional resistance to stress-corrosion cracking.