Nickel, is one of the strongest alloying metals mostly used to manufacture austenitic (nickel-bearing) stainless steel. In the aerospace industry, nickel-based alloys are widely used in discs, turbine blades, and other vital and critical jet engine parts as they offer excellent corrosion protection, erosion resistance, adhesion, wear, and hardness. Nickel is suitable for those applications that need to be extremely strong to handle stress. Nickel is used in engines of those aircraft that operate at very high temperatures and stresses. The most common benefits of nickel alloys like AMS 5663 and the reasons why they are too useful are listed below:

 

High strength at extremely high temperatures: Waspaloy is the ideal example of nickel alloy for aerospace manufacturing as it provides strength and reliability at higher temperatures. This alloy can handle even temperatures of 1600°F / 870°C. The temperature resistance of this alloy makes it suitable for aircraft where burning jet fuel can cause parts to get extremely hot for longer periods.

 

Highly resistant to oxidation and corrosion: Alloys like Alloy X-750 and AMS 5663 are examples of nickel-based alloys that are highly resistant to corrosion and oxidation, and any other such type of stressful environment. These types of environments are mostly found in pressure vessels, rocket engines, gas turbines, and other airframes. As these alloys are precipitation-hardened with many other versatile and resilient metals like titanium and aluminum, it is resistant to oxidation and corrosion which is common in many aircraft parts.

 

Low expansion at high temperatures: Alloy 36 is a Nickel and Iron-based alloy containing 36% nickel and is highly used in aerospace manufacturing. The major benefit of this nickel alloy is its extremely low expansion level at cryogenic temperatures of 500°F+, allowing this alloy to keep its shape and strength correct for longer periods and in higher temperatures. Aerospace applications of this alloy are measuring devices, thermostat rods, composite formation, laser components, tanks, and piping for liquefied gas storage.

 

Creep resistance: For aerospace applications, many nickel alloys like AMS 5663 have exceptional creep resistance. Some alloys can keep their fortitude under high degrees of stress and at high temperatures of up to 850°C / 1562°F. This is a very useful feature for manufacturing aircraft turbine rotors and exhaust valves.