Copper Nickels
Copper nickel alloys - generally known as cupronickels, are widely recognised for their excellent corrosion resistance in atmosphere, freshwater and seawater. This is mainly due to copper being the most noble of the metals in common use, but the addition of nickel improves the material’s overall strength, durability and also its resistance to corrosion, erosion and cavitation in all types of natural waters. These alloys also show excellent resistance to stress corrosion cracking and corrosion fatigue.
Cupronickels offer the advantage of resisting bio-fouling, making them an ideal material for applications in marine and chemical environments. The most common cupronickel alloys are those containing either 10 or 30 percent nickel, but other alloying additions such as manganese and iron are made to improve both strength and corrosion resistance. These two basic grades, recognised worldwide, form the basis for the more specialised alloys. They are used primarily for their corrosion resistance and formability where high strength properties are not required.
Columbia Metals stock two other special grades of cupronickel, developed for applications where a combination of high strength and excellent corrosion resistance is required. COLUMBIA 835 and NIBRON SPECIAL are wrought high strength alloys offering the excellent corrosion resistance of the cupronickels together with very high mechanical properties that even surpass those of the high strength aluminium bronzes.