What is the difference between INCONEL and INCOLOY?
Selecting the right alloy for industrial applications can be challenging. no doubt. You must find the right balance of properties and performance to obtain the alloy that best suits your production process, application needs and available budget. Choosing between Inconel or Incoloy alloys can be particularly challenging. The trick is to find the right alloy for your application at the lowest cost.
To choose the right alloy, you need to consider many factors about your application. The weighting of these factors is not always even. Additionally, there may be other departments in your business, such as procurement, that are involved in the decision-making. Some of these factors may not coincide with the primary factors in alloy selection.
Both alloys are members of the same alloy family. Both are high-performance alloys that share some of the same properties and are highly resistant to corrosion and oxidation. They also have good mechanical strength at high temperatures. However, each grade of these alloys has different properties and characteristics. These are the essence of alloys and the reason for their existence.
Inconel alloy and Incoloy alloy
Composition is the most critical difference between these two high-temperature alloys. Inconel is a nickel-chromium alloy containing primarily 50% nickel. Incoloy is a nickel-iron-chromium alloy containing less than 50% nickel. Other differences between these alloys lie in their specific applications and suitability. Let's look at each briefly.
Inconel
Inconel is ideal for extreme pressure and temperature applications. They are suitable for use in situations where steel and aluminum may fail due to thermal creep. When heated, Inconel forms a thick, stable oxide layer that protects the surface from further erosion. When alloyed with other materials, you can strengthen and harden the alloy so that it can be used in the most demanding applications.
Typical industries for Inconel include food, marine, aerospace, thermal and chemical processing as well as petrochemicals, pollution control, aerospace and nuclear energy.
Key properties of Inconel include:
Good acid resistance (sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, nitric acid and hydrochloric acid)
Almost completely free from chloride-induced stress and corrosion cracking
Excellent mechanical properties at both very low and high temperatures
Excellent resistance to pitting corrosion, crevice corrosion and intergranular corrosion
High oxidation resistance at high temperatures
Inconel is the "go-to" material for the most demanding environments. It comes in different grades, each exhibiting varying properties but with slightly different chemical compositions.
Inconel
Incoloy alloys have higher iron content and lower cost than Inconel alloys. Standard Incoloy alloys work well at high temperatures in less demanding applications. They are also easier to manufacture than Inconel. You can use the same machining and processing techniques as for stainless steel. Incoloy is available in a variety of grades with a focus on providing increased corrosion resistance in a variety of applications.
Typical industries include oil and gas, chemical processing, energy, aircraft and marine. These alloys offer excellent resistance to seawater, brines, acid gases and high chlorides, making them an excellent choice for oil and gas applications. .
The characteristics of Incoloy alloy are as follows:
Excellent strength resistance in high temperature environments
Excellent anti-oxidation and anti-carburization properties in high temperature environments
Good creep rupture strength
Good corrosion resistance in aqueous environments
Easy to manufacture and process
Alloyed with other materials, they have good resistance to chemical and environmental corrosion as well as physical deterioration. However, the most specialized Incoloy alloys offer greater resistance to the harshest chemical environments. They are ideally suited for acid, wet scrubbing, nuclear fuel and reactive atmosphere applications.
Key factors when choosing Inconel or Incoloy alloys
Every manufacturer knows that each alloy has unique properties and characteristics that must be weighed against each other before selecting one for an application. Key factors to consider when selecting an alloy include:
physical properties
Mechanical behavior
Cost-effectiveness
Serve
manufacture
surface properties
How each factor comes into play varies from product to product. Before choosing one of these alloys, learn more about the background of Incoloy or Inconel alloys. It's a good idea to check with the manufacturer for options. You want an alloy that meets your exact needs at the lowest possible cost.
If you have additional questions about Inconel or Incoloy, please feel free to contact us. Let our metals expertise work for you.
