Technical Data Sheet

 

Alloy 601 (UNS N06601) is a Nickel-Chromium alloy with an addition of Aluminium for outstanding resistance to oxidation and other forms of high temperature corrosion. Alloy 601 also has high mechanical properties at elevated temperatures. Alloy 601 is used for industrial furnaces, radiant tubes, themocouple tubes and heat treatment equipment, baskets, muffles, retorts. Petrochemical process equipment and aircraft components

Typical Mechanical Properties

 

Specifications
UNS N06601
ASTM B168 Plate
ASTM B166 Bar
ASTM B167 Seamless Pipe
ASTM B163 Seamless Tube
ASTM B564 Forgings
DIN 17752
AMS 5715 Bar, Forgings and Rings
AMS 5870 Sheet, Strip and Plate
Inconel 601 (trademark)

 

INCONEL® alloy 601 (UNS N06601)

Ni 61 Fe Bal Cr 23 Al 1.4 C 0.10 Mn 1.0 S 0.015 Si 0.5

High Performance Alloys stocks and produces Inconel 601 in this grade in the following forms: Bar, sheet, plate, coil and pipe.

 

 

Overview

Inconel 601 nickel-chromium-iron alloy is a general-purpose engineering material for applications that require resistance to heat and corrosion. The outstanding characteristic of Inconel 601 is its resistance to high-temperature oxidation. The alloy also has good resistance to aqueous corrosion, has high mechanical strength, and is readily formed, machined, and welded.

The limiting chemical composition of Inconel 601 is listed in Table 1. The composition is a face-centered-cubic solid solution with a high degree of metallurgical stability. The alloy’s nickel base, in conjunction with a substantial chromium content, provides resistance to many corrosive media and high-temperature environments. Oxidation resistance is further enhanced by the aluminum content.

 

Characteristics

·         The most important property of Inconel 601 is resistance to oxidation at very high temperatures up to 1250C. Even under severe conditions such as, cyclical heating and cooling. This is possible due to Inconel 601 having a tightly adherent oxide layer which is resistant against spalling.

·         Resistance to carburization is good, also resistant to carbon nitriding conditions.

·         Due to high chromium and some aluminum content, good resistance in oxidizing sulfur bearing atmospheres at elevated temperatures is demonstrated.

Applications

·         Trays, baskets and fixtures used in various heat treatments such as carburizing and carbon nitriding.

·         Refractory anchors, strand annealing and radiant tubes, high velocity gas burners, wire mesh belts etc.

·         Insulating cans in ammonia reformers and catalyst support grids used in nitric acid production.

·         Thermal reactors in exhaust system of petrol engines.

·         Fabricated combustion chambers.

·         Tube supports and ash trays in the power generation industry. 

Chemistry

 

Physical Properties

 

Tensile Data

 

 

Specifications

 

 

Machining

 

Inconel is a family of austenite nickel-chromium-based superalloys. The name is a trademark ofSpecial Metals Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Precision Castparts Corp.

Inconel alloys are oxidation and corrosion resistant materials well suited for service in extreme environments subjected to pressure and heat. When heated, Inconel forms a thick, stable,passivating oxide layer protecting the surface from further attack. Inconel retains strength over a wide temperature range, attractive for high temperature applications where aluminum and steel would succumb to creep as a result of thermally induced crystal vacancies. Inconel’s high temperature strength is developed by solid solution strengthening or precipitation strengthening, depending on the alloy.

Inconel alloys are typically used in high temperature applications. It is sometimes referred to in English as "Inco" (or occasionally "Inconel"). Common trade names for Inconel Alloy 625 include: Inconel 625, Chronin 625, Altemp 625, Haynes 625, Nickelvac 625 and Nicrofer 6020. 

Different Inconels have widely varying compositions, but all are predominantly nickel, with chromium as the second element.

Inconel alloys are oxidation- and corrosion-resistant materials well suited for service in extreme environments subjected to high pressure and kinetic energy. When heated, Inconel forms a thick and stable passivating oxide layer protecting the surface from further attack. Inconel retains strength over a wide temperature range, attractive for high-temperature applications where aluminium and steel would succumb to creep as a result of thermally induced crystal vacancies (see Arrhenius equation). Inconel's high temperature strength is developed by solid solution strengthening or precipitation strengthening, depending on the alloy. In age-hardening or precipitation-strengthening varieties, small amounts of niobiumcombine with nickel to form the intermetallic compound Ni₃Nb or gamma prime (γ'). Gamma prime forms small cubic crystals that inhibit slip and creep effectively at elevated temperatures. The formation of gamma-prime crystals increases over time, especially after three hours of a heat exposure of 850 °C, and continues to grow after 72 hours of exposure.

Inconel is a difficult metal to shape and machine using traditional techniques due to rapidwork hardening. After the first machining pass, work hardening tends to plastically deform either the workpiece or the tool on subsequent passes. For this reason, age-hardened Inconels such as 718 are machined using an aggressive but slow cut with a hard tool, minimizing the number of passes required. Alternatively, the majority of the machining can be performed with the workpiece in a solutionized form, with only the final steps being performed after age hardening.

External threads are machined using a lathe to "single-point" the threads or by rolling the threads in the solution treated condition (for hardenable alloys) using a screw machine. Inconel 718 can also be roll-threaded after full aging by using induction heat to 1300 °F without increasing the grain size. Holes with internal threads are made by threadmilling. Internal threads can also be formed using a sinker EDM (electrical discharge machining).

Cutting of a plate is often done with a waterjet cutter. New whisker-reinforced ceramic cutters are also used to machine nickel alloys. They remove material at a rate typically eight times faster than carbide cutters. Apart from these methods, Inconel parts can also be manufactured by selective laser melting.

Welding of some Inconel alloys (especially the gamma prime precipitation hardened family,e.g. Waspalloy and X-750) can be difficult due to cracking and microstructural segregation of alloying elements in the heat-affected zone. However, several alloys such as 625 and 718 have been designed to overcome these problems. The most common welding methods are gas tungsten arc welding and electron beam welding.

Innovations in pulsed micro laser welding have also become more popular in recent years for specific applications.

Inconel is often encountered in extreme environments. It is common in gas turbine blades, seals, and combustors, as well as turbocharger rotors and seals, electric submersible well pump motor shafts, high temperature fasteners, chemical processing and pressure vessels,heat exchanger tubing, steam generators and core components in nuclear pressurized water reactors,^[13] natural gas processing with contaminants such as H₂S and CO₂, firearmsound suppressor blast baffles, and Formula One, NASCAR and APR, LLC exhaust systems  It is also used in the turbo system of the 3rd generation Mazda RX7, and the exhaust systems of high powered rotary engined Norton motorcycles where exhaust temperatures reach more than 1,000 degrees C.^[16] Inconel is increasingly used in the boilers of waste incinerators. The Joint European Torus and DIII-D (fusion reactor)tokamaks vacuum vessels are made in Inconel. Inconel 718 is commonly used for cryogenic storage tanks, downhole shafts and wellhead parts.

Several applications of inconel in aerospace include:

·         North American Aviation constructed the skin of the North American X-15 Rocket-powered aircraft out of an Inconel alloy known as "Inconel X".

·         Rocketdyne used Inconel X-750 for the thrust chamber of the F-1 rocket engine used in the first stage of the Saturn V booster.

·         SpaceX uses inconel in the engine manifold of their Merlin rocket engine which powers the Falcon 9 launch vehicle.

·         In a first for 3D printing, the SpaceX SuperDraco engine that provides launch escape system and propulsive-landing thrust for the Dragon V2 crew-carrying space capsule is fully printed, the first fully printed rocket engine. In particular, the engine combustion chamber is printed of Inconel using a process of direct metal laser sintering, and operates at a chamber pressure of 6,900 kilopascals (1,000 psi) at a very high temperature.

Tesla Motors is now using Inconel, in place of steel, to upgrade the main battery pack contactor in its Model S so that it remains springy under the heat of heavy current. Teslaclaims that this allows upgraded vehicles to safely increase the max pack output from 1300 to 1500 Amps, allowing for an increase in power output (acceleration) Tesla refers to as "Ludicrous Mode."

Rolled Inconel was frequently used as the recording medium by engraving in black boxrecorders on aircraft.

Alternatives to the use of Inconel in chemical applications such as scrubbers, columns, reactors, and pipes are Hastelloy, perfluoroalkoxy (PFA) lined carbon steel or fiber reinforced plastic.

The exhaust valves on NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car drag racing engines are made of Inconel. Iconel is also used in the manufacture of exhaust valves in high performance aftermarket turbo and Supercharged Mazda Miata engine builds (see Flying Miata INC).

Alloys of inconel include:

·         Inconel 600: Solid solution strengthened

·         Inconel 625: Acid resistant, good weldability. The LCF version is typically used in bellows.

·         Inconel 690: Low cobalt content for nuclear applications, and low resistivity

·         Inconel 713C: Precipitaion hardenable nickel-chromium base cast alloy

·         Inconel 718: Gamma double prime strengthened with good weldability

·         Inconel 751: Increased aluminium content for improved rupture strength in the 1600 °F range

·         Inconel 792: Increased aluminium content for improved high temperature corrosion properties, used especially in gas turbines

·         Inconel 939: Gamma prime strengthened to increase weldability

In age hardening or precipitation strengthening varieties, alloying additions of aluminum and titanium combine with nickel to form the intermetallic compound Ni3(Ti,Al) or gamma prime (γ’). Gamma prime forms small cubic crystals that inhibit slip and creep effectively at elevated temperatures.

 

Disclaimer
Every effort is made to ensure that technical specifications are accurate. However, technical specifications included herein should be used as a guideline only. All specifications are subject to change without notice.