Monel

The Art Deco gate in the entrance hall of the Guardian Building is made from Monel metal.

Monel is a group of nickel alloys, primarily composed of nickel (up to 67%) and copper, with small amounts of iron, manganese, carbon, and silicon. Stronger than pure nickel, Monel alloys are resistant to corrosion by many agents, including rapidly flowing seawater. They can be fabricated readily by hot- and cold-working, machining, and welding.

Monel was created by David H. Browne, chief metallurgist for International Nickel Co. Monel alloy 400 is a binary alloy of the same proportions of nickel and copper as is found naturally in the 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 name is now a trademark of Special Metals Corporation.

It is a very expensive alloy, with cost ranging from 5 to 10 times the cost of copper and nickel, hence its use is limited to those applications where it cannot be replaced with cheaper alternatives. Compared to carbon steel, piping in monel is more than 3 times as expensive.

Properties

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. MONEL alloy 400 is notable for its toughness, which is maintained over a considerable range of temperatures. Monel alloy 400 has excellent mechanical properties at subzero temperatures. Strength and hardness increase with only slight impairment of ductility or impact resistance. The alloy does not undergo a ductile-to-brittle transition even when cooled to the temperature of liquid hydrogen. This is in marked contrast to many ferrous materials which are brittle at low temperatures despite their increased strength.

Uses

Aerospace applications

In the 1960s, Monel metal found bulk uses in aircraft construction, especially in making the frames and skins of experimental rocket planes, such as the North American X-15, to resist the great heat generated by aerodynamic friction during extremely high speed flight. Monel metal retains its strength at very high temperatures, allowing it to maintain its shape at high atmospheric flight speeds, a trade off against the increased weight of the parts due to Monel's high density.

Monel is used for safety wiring in the aircraft maintenance to ensure that fasteners cannot come undone, usually in high-temperature areas; stainless wire is used in other areas for economy.

Oil production and refining

Monel is used in the section of Alkylation units in direct contact with concentrated hydrofluoric acid. Indeed, Monel offers exceptional resistance to hydrofluoric acid in all concentrations up to the boiling point. It is perhaps the most resistant of all commonly used engineering alloys. The alloy is also resistant to many forms of sulfuric and hydrochloric acids under reducing conditions.

Marine applications

Monel's corrosion resistance makes it ideal in applications such as piping systems, pump shafts, seawater valves, trolling wire, and strainer baskets. Some alloys are completely non-magnetic and are used for anchor cable aboard minesweepers, housings for magnetic-field measurement equipment. In recreational boating, Monel wire is used to seize shackles for anchor rodes, Monel is used for water and fuel tanks, and for underwater applications. It is also used for propeller shafts and for keel bolts.

However, because of the problem of electrolytic action in salt water (also known as Galvanic corrosion), in shipbuilding monel must be carefully insulated from other metals such as steel. The New York Times of August 12, 1915 published an article about a 215-foot yacht, "the first ship that has ever been built with an entirely monel hull," that "went to pieces" in just six weeks and had to be scrapped, "on account of the disintegration of her bottom by electrical action." The yacht's steel skeleton deteriorated due to electrolytic interaction with the monel.

In seabird research, and bird banding or ringing in particular, Monel has been used to make bird bands or rings for many species such as albatross that live in a corrosive sea water environment.

Musical instruments

Monel is used as the material for valve pistons in some higher quality musical instruments such as trumpets, tubas and French horn rotors. RotoSound introduced the use of Monel for electric bass strings in 1962, and these strings have been used by numerous artists, including Steve Harris of Iron Maiden, The Who, Sting, John Deacon, and John Paul Jones and the late Chris Squire. Monel was in use in the early 1930s by other musical string manufacturers, such as Gibson Guitar Corporation, who continue to offer them for mandolin as the Sam Bush signature set. Also, C.F. Martin & Co. uses Monel for their Martin Retro acoustic guitar strings.

Directional Drilling

Monel drill collars are used in surveying oil wells. Monel collars are used in drilling directional wells which require the well to be steered. Their use permits faster and more accurate surveys, reduce hazards, and decreases the cost of drilling directional or controlled oil wells. The reduced cost comes from the ability of real time surveys from a MWD tool which has magnetometers built into them. The magnetometers if not surrounded by non-magnetic material (monel, inconel, Cu-Be, or non-magnetic stainless) will be unable to read the earth’s magnetic field without interference and will give an incorrect reading.

Monel is very rarely used in present day directional drilling collars. They are still referred to as monel collars based on tradition and misinformation. Monel has been substituted with other non-magnetic stainless materials due to cost.

Other

Identification tags made from monel.

The good resistance against corrosion by acids and oxygen makes monel a good material for the chemical industry. Even corrosive fluorides can be handled within monel apparatus; this was done in an extensive way in the enrichment of uranium in the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant. Here most of the larger diameter tubing for the uranium hexafluoride was made from monel. Regulators for reactive cylinder gases like hydrogen chloride form another example, where PTFE is not a suitable option when high delivery pressures are required. These will sometimes include a Monel manifold and taps prior to the regulator that allow the regulator to be flushed with a dry, inert gas after use to further protect the equipment.

In the early 20th century, when steam power was widely used, monel was advertised as being desirable for use in superheated steam systems. During the world wars, monel was used for US military dog tags.

Monel doorknobs in the Bryn Athyn Cathedral

Monel is often used for kitchen sinks and in the frames of eyeglasses. It has also been used for firebox stays in fire-tube boilers.

Parts of the Clock of the Long Now, which is intended to run for 10,000 years, are made from Monel because of the corrosion resistance without the use of precious metals.

Monel was used for much of the exposed metal used in the interior of the Bryn Athyn Cathedral in Pennsylvania, religious seat of the General Church of the New Jerusalem. This included large decorative screens, doorknobs, etc. Monel also has been used as roofing material in buildings such as the original Pennsylvania Station in New York City.

The greenish roof of Pennsylvania Station was made from monel

The 1991 - 1996 Acura (Honda) NSX came with a key made of Monel.

Oilfield applications include using Monel (rarely - see directional drilling above) in both flex and slick collars. Instruments (magnetometers or compass) which measure the Earth's magnetic field to obtain a magnetic direction are placed in the non-magnetic collar which isolates sensors from the magnetic pull of drilling tools located above and below the non-magnetic collars. They are often referred to as "monel collars" as that was the first material used to make the collars and the name stuck.

Monel is also used as a protective binding material on the outside of western style stirrups.

Monel is used by Arrow Fastener Co., Inc. for rustproof T50 staples.

Monel has also been used in Kelvinator refrigerators.

Monel was used in the Baby Alice Thumb Guard, a 1930s-era anti-thumb-sucking device.

Alloys

Trade Name	ASTM/AISI Alloy type	UNS	%Cu	%Al	%Ti	%Fe	%Mn	%Si	%Ni
Monel 400	B 127, B 164	N04400	28-34			2.5 max	2.0 max		63 min
Monel 401		N04401	28-34			2.5 max	2.0 max		63 min
Monel 404		N04404	28-34			2.5 max	2.0 max		63 min
Monel K-500	B 865	N05500	27-33	2.3-3.15	0.35-0.85	2.0 max	1.5 max		63 min
Monel R-405	B 164	N04405	28-34			2.5 max	2.0 max	0.5 max	63 min

Monel 400

Monel 400 shows high strength and excellent corrosion resistance in a range of acidic and alkaline environments and especially suitable for reducing conditions. It also has good ductility and thermal conductivity. Monel 400 typically finds application in: marine engineering, chemical and hydro-carbon processings, heat exchangers, valves and pumps. It is covered by the following standards: BS 3075, 3076 NA 13, DTD 204B and ASTM B164.

Large use of Monel 400 is made in the alkylation units, namely in the reacting section in contact with concentrated hydrofluoric acid.

• Monel 400 Microstructure.JPG

  Microstructure of Monel 400 alloy

Monel 401

This alloy is designed for use in specialized electric and electronic applications. Alloy 401 is readily autogenously welded, in the thin sections in which it is most often used, by the gas-tungsten-arc process. Resistance welding is a very satisfactory method for joining the material. It also exhibits good brazing characteristics. Alloy 401 is normally furnished as wire. It is covered by standard UNS N04401.

Monel 404

This alloy is used primarily in specialized electrical and electronic applications. The composition of Monel 404 is carefully adjusted to provide a very low Curie temperature, low permeability, and good brazing characteristics. Monel 404 can be welded using common welding techniques and forged but cannot be hot worked. Cold working may be done using standard tooling and soft die materials for better finish. It is covered by standards UNS N04404 and ASTM F96. Monel 404 alloy is used in the following applications: capsules for transistors and ceramic to metal sealings.

Monel 450

This alloy exhibits good fatigue strength and has relatively high thermal conductivity. It is used for seawater condensers, condenser plates, distiller tubes, evaporator and heat exchanger tubes, and saltwater piping.

Monel K-500

Monel K-500 combines the excellent corrosion resistance characteristic of Monel alloy 400 with the added advantages of greater strength and hardness. The increased properties are obtained by adding aluminum and titanium to the nickel-copper base, and by heating under controlled conditions so that submicroscopic particles of Ni3 (Ti, Al) are precipitated throughout the matrix. The corrosion resistance of Monel alloy K-500 is substantially equivalent to that of alloy 400 except that, when in the age-hardened condition, alloy K-500 has a greater tendency toward stress-corrosion cracking in some environments. Monel alloy K-500 has been found to be resistant to a sour-gas environment. The combination of very low corrosion rates in high-velocity sea water and high strength make alloy K-500 particularly suitable for shafts of centrifugal pumps in marine service. In stagnant or slow-moving sea water, fouling may occur followed by pitting, but this pitting slows down after a fairly rapid initial attack.

Typical applications for alloy K-500 are: pump shafts and impellers, doctor blades and scrapers, oil-well drill collars and instruments and electronic components.

Monel R-405

Monel R405 is the free machining version of Monel 400. It is a nickel-copper alloy with a controlled amount of sulfur added to provide sulfide inclusions that act as chip breakers during machining. Like Monel 400, alloy R-405 is resistant to sea water and steam at high temperatures as well as to salt and caustic solutions. Monel R405 is a solid solution alloy that can only be hardened by cold working. This nickel alloy exhibits characteristics like good corrosion-resistance, good weldability and high strength. A low corrosion rate in rapidly flowing brackish or seawater combined with excellent resistance to stress corrosion cracking in most freshwaters combined to its resistance to a variety of corrosive conditions justifies its wide use in marine applications and other non-oxidizing chloride solutions. This nickel steel alloy is particularly resistant to hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids when they are de-aerated. As would be expected from its high copper content, alloy R-405 is rapidly attacked by nitric acid and ammonia systems.

Alloy R-405 is chiefly used for automatic-screw-machine stock and it not generally recommended for other applications.

See also

• Cupronickel
• Hastelloy
• Inconel

External links

• Monel Corrosion