CAST ALLOYS
MANY NICKEL ALLOYS can be used in cast form as well as wrought form. Several common commercial casting alloys are listed in Table 4.3; however, cast forms usually can be purchased also within typical alloy families listed in Table 4.2. Some alloys are designed specifically for casting. Table 4.3 gives the composition of several nickel-based ASTM casting alloys. Casting alloys, like wrought alloys, can be strengthened by solid-solution or precipitation hardening. Precipitation-hardening alloys high in aluminum content, such as alloy 713C, will harden during slow cooling in the mold and are considered unweldable by fusion processes. However, surface defects and service damage are frequently repaired by
welding. It should be understood that a compromise is being made between the convenience of welding and the cast strength and ductility. Most nickel and cobalt cast alloys will contain significant amounts of silicon to improve fluidity and castability. Most of these cast alloys are weldable by conventional means, but as the silicon content increases, so does weld-cracking sensitivity. This cracking sensitivity can be avoided using welding techniques that minimize base metal dilution. Nickel castings that are considered unweldable by arc welding methods may be welded using the oxyacetylene
process and a very high preheat temperature. Cast nickel alloys containing 30% copper are considered unweldable when the silicon exceeds 2% because of their sensitivity to cracking. However, when weldable grade castings are specified, weldability is quite good, and such welds will pass routine weld-metal inspections using methods such as radiography, liquid penetrant testing, and pressure tests. Cobalt cast alloys are found in gas turbine and other applications where good oxidation and sulfidation resistance, as well as strength, are needed. Table 4.5 gives the composition of some of these alloys. Note the silicon level is quite low, and weldability is considered good in these alloys.