Monel

Monel is a group of alloys of nickel (from 52 to 67%) and copper, with small amounts of iron, manganese, carbon, and silicon. Monel is not a cupronickel alloy because it has less than 60% copper. Stronger than pure nickel, Monel alloys are resistant to corrosion by many aggressive agents, including rapidly flowing seawater. They can be fabricated readily by hot- and cold-working, machining, and welding. Monel was created in 1905 by Robert Crooks Stanley, who at the time worked at the International Nickel Company (Inco). Monel alloy 400 is a binary alloy of the same proportions of nickel and copper as is found naturally in the meteoritic nickel ore from the Sudbury (Ontario) mines and is therefore considered a puritan alloy. Monel was named after company president Ambrose Monell, and patented in 1906. One L was dropped, because family names were not allowed as trademarks at that time. The trademark was registered in May 1921, and the name is now a trademark of Special Metals Corporation. As an expensive alloy, its use is limited to those applications where it cannot be replaced with cheaper alternatives. For example, in 2015 Monel piping was three times more expensive than the equivalent piping made from carbon steel. Monel is a solid-solution binary alloy. As nickel and copper are mutually soluble in all proportions, it is a single-phase alloy. Compared to steel, Monel is very difficult to machine as it work-hardens very quickly. It needs to be turned and worked at slow speeds and low feed rates. It is resistant to corrosion and acids, and some alloys can withstand a fire in pure oxygen. It is commonly used in applications with highly corrosive conditions. Small additions of aluminium and titanium form an alloy (K-500) with the same corrosion resistance but with much greater strength due to gamma prime formation on aging. Monel is typically much more expensive than stainless steel. Monel alloy 400 has a specific gravity of 8.80, a melting range of 1300–1350 °C, an electrical conductivity of approximately 34% IACS, and (in the annealed state) a hardness of 65 Rockwell B.