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MAGAZINE

NICKEL

T HE M AG A ZINE DE VOT ED TO NICK EL A ND I T S A PPLIC ATIONS NICKEL, VOL. 34, NO. 1, 2019

Nickel: the great enabler An engineerâ€™s guide to nickel steel

Garrison Crossing: stainless steel connecting communities

Longer-lasting batteries for Formula E

BOUYGUES TRAVAUX PUBLICS GROUP

CASE STUDY 15 MONACO EXPANSION PROJECT

BOUYGUES TRAVAUX PUBLICS GROUP

The second smallest country in the world and the most densely populated sovereign state, Monaco is immersed in an ambitious, eco-minded offshore extension project, a $2.3 billion six-hectare expansion of the city into the sea.

More than 4,000 tonnes of stainless steel rebar was used to construct the caissons and their floating construction dock.

Developed by French construction company Bouygues Travaux Publics, construction of the maritime infrastructure is currently in progress with the submerged portion due to be completed by 2020. Anse du Portier (or Portier Cove as it is known in English), has been designed to fit naturally into the coastal landscape and conform to the flow of water near the coast.

BOUYGUES TRAVAUX PUBLICS GROUP

The seabed will be dredged and filled with quarried rocks to support a seawall consisting of 18 concretefilled chambers called caissons. The caissons, 30 m in length and 24 m in height with a unit weight of 10,000 tonnes, will be towed by ship to Monaco from Marseille. 2 | NICKEL, VOL. 34, NO. 1, 2019

The French-Spanish company SENDIN has used more than 4,000 tonnes of stainless steel rebar to construct the enormous caissons at their floating construction dock at the port of Marseille. Chosen for high resistance to corrosion against seawater chlorides, durability and avoiding future costly maintenance, stainless steel grade Type 2304 (UNS S32304) duplex was used with diameters between 12 and 40 mm, supplied by Roldan-Acerinox group. Ultimately the new district, Anse du Portier, expected to be completed by 2025, will house up to 1,000 residents in apartments and villas as well as feature a landscaped park, a seafront promenade and a marina.

EDITORIAL: ‘THE ENABLER’ NICKEL MAKING LIFE AND THINGS POSSIBLE

BRUCE WOOD, USDA-ARS, BYRON, GA

Nickel rarely plays solo roles but, in its various forms, is spectacular in supporting parts. Sometimes prominent, sometimes subtle but always enabling technologies, processes and products to shine. The roles are ‘all natural’. Everything nickel can do lies with its innate characteristics, including its littleknown role as a micronutrient. The essentiality of nickel is not common knowledge, nor is the fact that there are crop-specific applications of nickel-containing fertiliser. Likewise, nickel metal hydride and nickel cadmium The healthy growth of one branch batteries have been overshadowed in contrasts sharply with foliage that the public mind by ‘lithium’. Poorly did not receive supplemental nickel. understood is that nickel is central to the revolutionary success of the dominant lithium chemistries in modern energy storage. Another small and invisible example is the heat-resistant, sound-reducing nickel superalloy foam insulation for jet engines that could reduce the noise footprint of aircraft, making life near airports more livable.

Cryogenic applications such as LNG storage and shipping use steel containing 9% nickel.

Even the ubiquitous nickel-containing stainless steels are finding new applications, enabling machinery and processes to work more efficiently for longer. That said, we have chosen in this issue to highlight all those nickel-containing alloy steels that aren’t ‘stainless steel’. Collectively, they are vital to thousands of engineering solutions and their distinguishing characteristics and examples of their various applications are shown. Nickel plays many roles. Strong and ductile. Conducting and magnetic…or not. High temperature or low…or both. In solid, solution or alloy forms. And essential to life. Stars come and go but the many talents and roles of ‘The Enabler’ continue. Clare Richardson Editor, Nickel Magazine NICKEL, VOL. 34, NO. 1, 2019 | 3

Case study no. 15 Monaco expansion project

Editorial Nickel ‘The Enabler’

Nickel notables

Garrison Crossing

NICKEL

NOTABLES

CONTENTS

stainless steel connecting communities

Nickel-containing steels Nickel is the secret ingredient

Drugs, vaccines and stainless steel Single-use bioreactors

Formula E racing cars Longer-lasting batteries

New publications

UNS details

Mighty moose Norway’s Storelgen

Quiet please A new superalloy foam has been developed to reduce the roar of aircraft engines. A team at A*STAR has shown how regular polymer foams can be used as a template to create heat-resistant, sound-suppressing superalloy metallic foams. The researchers coated a polymer foam with a slurry of the nickel-based superalloy, then burnt off the polymer to leave behind an open-cell metallic foam with the same structure as the original polymer. Testing the acoustic properties of these metallic foams, they found the smaller the pores, the longer and more difficult the sound wave’s path will be through the material, and the more time the material has to damp sound energy by converting it to heat — a phenomenon known as the thermo-viscous effect.

Nickel magazine is published by Nickel Institute www.nickelinstitute.org Dr. Hudson Bates, President Clare Richardson, Editor communications@nickelinstitute.org Contributors: Gary Coates, Richard Matheson, Bruce McKean, Geir Moe, Kim Oakes, Nigel Ward, Odette Ziezold

Material has been prepared for the general information of the reader and should not be used or relied upon for specific applications without first securing competent advice. While the material is believed to be technically correct, Nickel Institute, its members, staff and consultants do not represent or warrant its suitability for any general or specific use and assume no liability or responsibility of any kind in connection with the information herein. ISSN 0829-8351 Printed in Canada on recycled paper by Hayes Print Group Image credits: Cover: Shutterstock©Wojciech Wrzesien pg 3 Shutterstock.com©Alexyz3d pg 8 iStockPhoto.com©Bet_Noire pg 9 iStockPhoto.com©umenie pg 11 iStockPhoto.com©mypokcik, iStockPhoto.com©antpkr pg 16 Shutterstock©mariusz.ks

Erratum: Vol 33/No.3, 2018 Figure1, p10 corrected and available online

4 | NICKEL, VOL. 34, NO. 1, 2019

Design: Constructive Communications

A light idea In the small Japanese town of Namie, near Fukushima, car manufacturer Nissan and its affiliate, 4R Energy Corporation, are turning used electric car batteries into solar powered street lamps. They have come up with an innovative way to recycle electric vehicle batteries rich in nickel, manganese, cobalt and lithium. The project, titled ‘The Reborn Light,’ provides

NISSAN’S REBORN LIGHT PROJECT

public lighting for residents as part of recovery efforts in the region devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. This new type of outdoor lighting is powered by a combination of solar panels and used batteries from the Nissan LEAF electric car. As part of the town’s revitalisation, these stunningly designed standalone street lamps supply electricity to areas that are not connected to the main grid.

THOMASCOUNTYAG.COM

A long life on Mars

A little nickel grows a long way It’s a solution that has proven to be even more important as weather patterns change. In the southern United States, a prominent area for pecan trees, cooler spring temperatures and delays in warming are leading to the

While NASA officially declared its Opportunity Mars rover dead on February 13, 2019, it will be remembered for its unexpected longevity in harsh conditions. Deployed in 2004 and known as Oppy, it conducted measurements for 14 years. Powered by solar panels, Li-ion batteries stored excess energy to help with periods of peak power demand. The chemistry didn’t change much in the early years because of Opportunity’s ongoing success. The nickel-cobalt oxide (NCO) Li-ion chemistry of Oppy was up-graded to nickel-cobaltaluminum (NCA) for the InSight mission launched in November 2018. The NCA chemistry provides improved performance.

appearance of more mouse ear on developing foliage. Discovered to be the result of a nickel deficiency, mouse ear symptoms include a rounded or blunt leaflet tip, smaller leaves and leaflets, stunted tree organs, poorly NASA/JPL/CORNELL UNIVERSITY

developed root systems, delayed bud break, and necrosis of leaflet tips. Cooler soil limits absorption of available nickel which is needed for healthy foliage. The good news? Pecans don’t need a lot of nickel and the problem can be prevented by monitoring the soil temperatures each year and treating with foliar applications of nickel when necessary. NICKEL, VOL. 34, NO. 1, 2019 | 5

GARRISON CROSSING: STAINLESS STEEL CONNECTING COMMUNITIES

PEDELTA, AERIAL VIEW RENDER

Located just west of the main downtown area of Toronto, Canada, the 17.4 hectare Fort York historic area is an oasis of calm in a vibrant city. It dates from 1793, when the small town was known as York, and served as a defence for the harbour being manned by a garrison of soldiers. While the site today is a major tourist attraction, the green space known as Garrison Commons is very popular with city residents. However, access to the site for pedestrians and cyclists was by a busy road bridge, which crossed two major railway lines.

While other pedestrian bridges in North America have used stainless steel for part of their structures, and many highway bridges use stainless steel reinforcing bar in concrete, Garrison Crossing as a pair of all-stainless steel bridges is a first. Nickel-containing Type 2205 duplex stainless steel was selected for its high corrosion resistance against deicing salts.

6 | NICKEL, VOL. 34, NO. 1, 2019

A competition was held for two pedestrian/cycling bridges, now known as Garrison Crossing, with the winning consortium led by Dufferin Construction. Pedelta Structural Engineers, an innovative international engineering firm, came up with a North American first – all stainless steel bridges. A duplex alloy, Type 2205 (UNS S32205) was chosen for not only its high strength and other structural properties needed in cold weather climates, but also for its high corrosion resistance against deicing salts. It will not need to be painted over its long lifetime and will have very low maintenance costs. Juan Sobrino, the president of Pedelta and lead designer for this project explained, “I have used stainless steel in many bridges in Europe, so I was very familiar with how it should be used structurally for the Garrison Crossing project.” There were several challenges

to overcome. There is no North American bridge code that references stainless steels, so authorities had to be convinced that the design was safe yet cost-effective. There had to be a merging of ideas and a great degree of coordination between all the partners. AISC (American Institute of Steel Construction) issued Design Guidelines for Structural Stainless Steel in 2013, and there is a European code that gave further guidance. The fabrication of the bridges was, of course, a very critical element, and the job was awarded to a local firm, Mariani Metal Fabricators. Mariani had done some spectacular stainless steel work in the past, including the Air Force Memorial located just outside Washington D.C. Although they had previously fabricated duplex stainless steel, this was their largest duplex job, requiring about 350 tonnes of Type 2205. According to Vince Mariani,

MARIANI METAL FABRICATORS

PEDELTA, INTERIOR VIEW RENDER

were glass bead blasted. Even the

“we were aware of the challenges

handrails are in Type 2205.

going into the job, including special

The bridges are now in place, and the

thickness and flatness tolerances of

finishing touches being made. These

the plate, cleanliness in the shop and

are not only bridges, but a way of

on-site, and especially on the special

connecting communities together in a

welding requirements.” The surface

sustainable, environmentally-friendly

finish of the steel is critical, so all parts

and long-lasting way.

Left: artist’s impression of the completed bridges Above: one of the bridges being fabricated at Mariani Metal Fabricators Below: installed bridge before finishing with handrails

E.S. FOX LIMITED

president and founder of the company,

NICKEL, VOL. 34, NO. 1, 2019 | 7

STRONG, HARD AND TOUGH THE MANY WAYS NICKEL-CONTAINING ALLOY STEELS DELIVER Most nickel production is destined for stainless steel. But a significant 8% is used in the production of alloy steels which are needed to deliver specific characteristics for specialised and often critical applications.

Hardenable low alloy steel is used for crank shafts, gears, and aircraft landing gear – all benefit from nickel content.

Tool steel – air-hardened steel shear blade

Alloy steels include a wide variety of iron-based materials. Nickel content ranges from very low, ~0.3% in some alloy steels, and up to as much as 20% in maraging steels. Each alloy is designed for some combination of greater strength, hardness, wear resistance or toughness than plaincarbon steels. They are typically used in equipment that delivers power, forms and cuts metal, or are used at low temperatures where carbon steels lack adequate toughness. For simplicity, alloy steels can be divided into several types, with specific properties for specific end uses. Nickel alloy steels are essential in the construction of tools and machinery that enable industry to make other tools and machinery. See table page 9.

Hardenable low alloy steel

These steels constitute a category of ferrous materials that exhibit mechanical properties superior to plain carbon steels. This is achieved by the addition of alloying elements such as nickel, chromium, and molybdenum, followed by a quench (rapid cooling) and temper heat treatment. These elements, when dissolved in austenite prior to quenching, increase hardenability. Nickel complements the hardening effect of chromium and molybdenum and is important in providing toughness to the hard-martensitic microstructure that results from the quench and temper heat treatment. See table below.

MILWAUKEESHEARBLADE

Comparing typical mechanical values for AISI 4340 in the annealed and quench and tempered condition to AISI 1045 carbon steel 75 MM (3”) DIA ROUND BAR

8 | NICKEL, VOL. 34, NO. 1, 2019

YIELD STRENGTH MPa (ksi)

TENSILE STRENGTH MPa (ksi)

% ELONGATION

AISI 4340 annealed

588 (86)

752 (110)

AISI 4340 ASTM A434 class BD

847 (124)

963 (141)

AISI 1045 normalised

410 (60)

629 (92)

Tool steel

Tool steel is a term applied to a variety of high-hardness, abrasion-resistant steels used for applications, such as dies (stamping or extrusion), cutting or shearing, mould making, or impact applications like hammers (personal or industrial). Their heat treatment is similar to hardenable low alloy steels. Air-hardened tool steels reduce distortion caused by the rapid water quenching and they possess a balance of wear resistance and toughness.

Plastic mould tool steels are low carbon steels that are shaped and then carburised, hardened and then tempered to a high surface hardness, which makes them ideal for injection moulds and die-casting dies. High strength low alloy (weathering steel)

The finer grain structure of these steels results in increased strength compared to plain carbon steels. This finer grain is achieved by influencing transformation temperatures so

Maraging steel with 18% nickel content possesses the impactfatigue strength required for aircraft landing gear.

Typical chemical composition of some notable nickel-containing alloy steels. STEEL TYPE

GRADE (UNS)

OTHER

APPLICATIONS

AISI 4340 (G43400)

0.4

1.8

0.8

bal

Transmission gears, shafts and aircraft landing gear

AISI 4320H (H43200)

0.2

1.8

0.5

bal

Gears and pinions that are surface-hardened for wear resistance but possess a tough core

AR450

0.26

0.70

1.0

bal

Abrasion-resistant plate for chutes, dump liners, grates, ballistic plates

Tool steel Air-hardened

A9 (T30109)

0.5

1.5

5.0

bal

Mo, V

Drawing and forming dies, shear blades

Tool steel Plastic mould

P6 (T51606)

0.1

3.5

1.5

bal

High strength low alloy (HSLA) â€œweathering steelâ€?

A588 Gr C (K11538)

0.1

0.35

0.5

bal

Nickel steel

9% Nickel steel (K81340)

0.13

9.0

bal

Maraging steel

Maraging 300 (K93120)

0.03

18.5

bal

Hardenable low alloy

Zinc die casting and plastic injection moulding dies Cr, Cu, V

Provide higher strength to weight ratio than plain carbon steel and greater atmospheric corrosion resistance for use in bridge construction Cryogenic applications such LNG storage

Co, Mo, Al, Ti

Rocket motor casings, airframes, power shafts, aircraft landing gear, injection moulds, dies

NICKEL, VOL. 34, NO. 1, 2019 | 9

that the conversion of austenite to ferrite and pearlite occurs at a lower temperature during air cooling. At the low carbon levels typical of HSLA steels, elements such as silicon, copper, nickel, and phosphorus are particularly effective for producing fine pearlite.

The desirable properties of maraging steels can be summarised as: • Ultra-high strength at room temperature

The addition of chromium, copper and nickel produce a stable rust layer that adheres to the base metal and is much less porous than the rust layer that forms on ordinary structural steel. The result is a much lower corrosion rate allowing these steels to be utilised uncoated.

• Simple heat treatment, resulting in minimum distortion • Superior fracture toughness compared to quenched and tempered steel of similar strength level

The table below shows the difference in mechanical properties for ASTM A36 carbon structural steel and ASTM A588 Grade C high-strength low-alloy structural steel.

• Easily fabricated with good weldability

Nickel steel

Figure 1: Effect of nickel on impact toughness of normalised and tempered half inch plates of low carbon steel 81.3 Ni

JOULES 27.1

2. 2

54.2 Ni

CHARPY IMPACT (KEYHOLE-NOTCH) FT/LB

-300 -200 (-185) (-129)

-100 0 (-73) (-18)

TEMPERATURE °F (°C)

100 (38)

Ferritic steels with high nickel content, typically greater than 3%, find extensive use in applications involving exposure to temperatures from 0 °C to -196 °C. Such applications include storage tanks for liquefied hydrocarbon gases, as well as structures and machinery designed for use in cold regions. These steels utilise the effect of nickel content in reducing the impact transition temperature, thereby improving toughness at low temperatures. In carbon and most low-alloy steels, as the temperature drops below 24 °C (75 °F), strength and hardness increase, while tensile ductility and toughness decrease. Nickel improves lowtemperature toughness, as illustrated by the charpy impact results in Figure 1.

First applied in liquid oxygen containment vessels in 1952, 9% nickel steel has since mainly been used for the inner shell of LNG tanks. It is selected instead of austenitic stainless steels, due to the combination of high strength and reliable fracture toughness at very low temperatures down to -196 °C. Maraging steel

Maraging steels are low carbon Fe-Ni alloys, containing ~18% nickel and additionally alloyed with cobalt, molybdenum, titanium and other elements. These alloys are quenched to martensite followed by a precipitation hardening heat treatment at 480-500 °C, which promotes precipitation of intermetallics such as Ni3Mo and Ni3Ti. These steels possess high fracture toughness, and their impact-fatigue strength indicates that they are useful for repeated impact loading situations, such as in electro-mechanical components. The relatively low heat treatment temperature results in much less distortion than the quenching of hardenable low alloy steels, making them desirable for long, thin parts. Though the amount of nickel used in these alloy steels is less significant than in stainless steel production, their variety is extensive and industrially they are important enablers. To help engineers and specifiers determine the best material for their application, the Nickel Institute provides free technical advice. www.nickelinstitute.org

The following table shows the difference in mechanical properties for ASTM A36 carbon structural steel and ASTM A588 grade C high-strength low-alloy structural steel. YIELD STRENGTH MPa (ksi) min

TENSILE STRENGTH MPa (ksi) min

% ELONGATION min

ASTM A36

250 (36)

400 (58)

ASTM A588 Gr C

345 (50)

485 (70)

GRADE

10 | NICKEL, VOL. 34, NO. 1, 2019

GLOSSARY OF TERMS Austenite is the atomic structure of

Hardenability is the ability of a

steel that exists above 727 °C. It is a non-magnetic solid solution of iron and carbon.

steel to achieve a certain hardness at a given depth after rapid cooling (quenching).

Cementite is a compound of iron

Martensite is a magnetic structure

and carbon with the formula Fe3C. As the carbon content of steel increases so does the amount of cementite and likewise the amount pearlite with an accompanying increase in strength. Increasing carbon content is the easiest means to increase mechanical strength and hardness, but with increasing strength there is an accompanying decrease in toughness.

of steel formed by quenching of austenite at such a high rate that carbon atoms do not have time to diffuse out of the crystal structure in large enough quantities to form cementite. As a result of the quenching, the austenite transforms into a highly strained structure that is supersaturated with carbon, which increases mechanical strength and hardness.

Note: Reducing grain size (making it finer) also increases mechanical strength without an accompanying decrease in toughness. Charpy impact is a standardised

test which measures the amount of energy absorbed by a standard size metal coupon when it fractures. Ferrite is the atomic structure of steel

that exists below 727 °C. Ferrite has a lower carbon solubility than austenite and thus when steel is cooled below 727 °C, excess carbon is tied up as cementite and is layered with ferrite to form pearlite. Thus, at room temperature steel microstructure consists of pearlite islands in ferrite.

Pearlite is a lamellar structure

composed of alternating layers of ferrite and cementite. Precipitation hardening is a heat

treatment technique used to increase the mechanical strength or hardness of malleable metals by promoting the formation (precipitation) of a dispersion of fine particles of metallic compounds (intermetallics) that stiffen the metal’s crystal structure.

Maraging steel is a highperformance material which can be found in the face or entire head of premium golf clubs.

Toughness is the ability of a material

to absorb energy and plastically deform, thus resisting fracturing when stressed. NICKEL, VOL. 34, NO. 1, 2019 | 11

DRUGS, VACCINES, AND STAINLESS STEELS MORE NIMBLE AND DIVERSE PRODUCTION

GE HEALTHCARE

Demand for biologics (drugs made from complex molecules manufactured using living micro-organisms, plants, or animal cells) is growing rapidly. For production capacities above 2,000-3,000 kg/year, nickel-containing stainless steels are making production of biologics economically viable. Below that production level, single-use technologies are cost effective. The biologic route allows the production of more specific, niche drugs with increased potency. This has created increased variety but with smaller individual production runs, which in turn require more flexible production processes to respond more quickly to changes in demand.

Above: GE Healthcare Xcellerex™ stirred-tank bioreactor Allowing for quick startup and changeover between production campaigns, single-use technologies enable manufacturers to rapidly adapt to market needs. The reduced need for open handling also reduces the risk of contamination.

12 | NICKEL, VOL. 34, NO. 1, 2019

In response, a new way of manufacturing has been developed with the use of single-use bioreactors. Bioreactors are vessels for growing organisms (yeast, bacteria, or animal cells) under controlled conditions. Usually made from Type 304L (UNS S30403) stainless steel (because the single-use liner inside the vessel is in product contact), they are increasingly used in biopharma industrial processes to produce biopharmaceuticals, vaccines, antibodies, cell and gene therapies and biosimilars. In single-use bioreactors, the stainlesssteel support vessels are lined with medical grade polyethylene for the production of a batch of a certain molecule. The linings are disposed of after each batch is produced. This

means that the same stainless-steel production equipment can be used for the manufacturing of different molecules in small batches. In the past, to switch product, the production equipment had to be extensively cleaned or new equipment had to be built. In biotechnology, where the avoidance of contamination is of extreme importance, the cleaning process can take three to four days and use massive amounts of water. The removable liner eliminates or minimises the amount of cleaning of the equipment before starting another batch of a completely different compound. This increases the utilisation rate of the equipment and minimises downtime. The future of single-use bioreactors

Looking forward, with the expected continued growth in demand for new drugs and chemicals, but smaller production volumes, the use of single-use bioreactors makes flexible manufacturing and smaller systems increasingly practical and appropriate. Because of the advantages that single-use offers in terms of reduced

GE HEALTHCARE

Left: GE Healthcare Xcellerex™ stirred-tank bioreactor cleaning, reduced steam sterilisation, lowered utility costs, flexible facility design, and improved capital efficiency, single-use bioreactors also allow for more facilities to be built in emerging markets, allowing for distributed production. The go-to grade

For all forms of drug manufacturing, the safety, purity and potency of the products is essential. Nickelcontaining stainless steel is an important and cost-efficient material

in drug manufacturing equipment, providing machinery and tubing surfaces that are smooth, easy to clean and sanitise and, if necessary, to decontaminate. Typically, in the pharmaceutical industry, the ‘go-to’ grades are stainless steel Type 316 (S31600) for the processing equipment in contact with the reactants, and stainless steel Type 304 (S30400) for the supporting structures. Both are straightforward to fabricate into the complex process machinery.

Single-use bioreactors have several advantages, they: • r educe the need for costly and time-consuming cleaning and sterilisation validation procedures between batches, • reduce solid waste, • c ontribute to increased annual production capacity, • l ower capital and operating costs,

FlexFactory leading the way Biopharmaceuticals are protein-based medicines that are increasingly used to treat many diseases such as cancers, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and clotting disorders of the blood. Worldwide demand for these types of medicine is growing rapidly, driven by the world’s ageing population and the move towards targeted, precision treatments. In response, Parrish Galliher, Chief Technology Officer of Upstream Bioprocess at GE Healthcare’s Life Sciences division, has pioneered the FlexFactory, based on modern single-use technologies, which gives producers rapid access to key biomanufacturing processes which can be tailored to fit any new or existing facilities. It also gives manufacturers the flexibility to modify individual processes as production needs change, or even develop a completely new production line within nine to twelve months.“In the past you had to start building a plant five years ahead of time because that’s how long it took to build, and five years is an eternity in biotech”, explains Galliher. “Drugs come and go for all sorts of reasons, and half of the facilities were actually obsolete by the time they were completed; such is the rate of change in the industry.”

• i ncrease speed and flexibility to set up the process allowing for quick startup and changeover between production campaigns, •e nable faster reaction to rapidly changing market needs, and •m inimise contamination risk because all components that contact the process material are enclosed within disposable units.

NICKEL, VOL. 34, NO. 1, 2019 | 13

MCLAREN AUTOMOTIVE LIMITED

THE RACE TO CHAMPION LONGER-LASTING EV BATTERIES

Formula E is grabbing the attention of the world’s largest carmakers. Conceived in 2011 and launched in Beijing in September 2014, Formula E, all-electric championship audiences have rapidly risen to over 200 million, with speeds rising from 220 kph to 299 kph (137 mph to 186 mph) and range more than doubling.

“Somehow McLaren seems to have achieved the impossible by upping the number of cells per car from 165 to 209 pushing the limits on weight, and near doubling of the energy density. Many are curious as to how they have done it.” —Global Mining Observer

Every Formula E team must use the same battery technology, originally lithium-ion batteries with a capacity of 28 kWh. Williams was commissioned to build the first batteries, and now McLaren Applied Technologies is contracted to supply them, creating a new battery that has almost doubled the amount of usable energy to 54 kWh, so drivers can complete the entire race distance in one car. As with Williams, the chemical composition inside McLaren’s Formula E batteries is a closely-guarded technical secret but one possibility is that McLaren is using a nickel-heavy design for enhanced energy density, with 8-1-1 chemistry, using eight parts nickel for every one part cobalt and manganese. It may be years before the McLaren battery secret is known, so until then, it’s about enjoying this exciting, innovation-inspiring sport.

14 | NICKEL, VOL. 34, NO. 1, 2019

NICKEL

O N L I N E

Driving those increases is battery innovation

WWW.NICKELINSTITUTE.ORG

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NEW PUBLICATIONS The Nickel Institute has published two newly revised technical guides to assist in the effective use of nickel-containing materials. The fully revised Guidelines for the welded fabrication of nickel alloys for corrosion-resistant service (11012) provides a useful guide for welders, materials engineers and design engineers. For the welder, it takes a â€œhow toâ€? approach useful for non-engineers. For the materials engineer, it is a useful reference that provides descriptions of the various types of nickel alloys and their metallurgical characteristics and discusses non-destructive inspections useful for ensuring fabrication quality. For the design engineer, it discusses design considerations to optimise the corrosion-performance of nickel alloys and the use of corrosion-resistant

layers applied by weld overlay, sheet lining and clad plate. Alloy selection for service in chlorine, hydrogen chloride and hydrochloric acid (10020), reviews the corrosive effect of chlorine, hydrogen chloride and hydrochloric acid with a range of materials including steels, stainless steels, nickel-base alloys, copper-base alloys, titanium, zirconium and tantalum under various conditions. This fully revised technical publication from the Nickel Institute provides a useful guide for materials engineers. Available to download free from www.nickelinstitute.org

UNS DETAILS UNS

Chemical compositions (% by weight) of the alloys and stainless steels mentioned in this issue of Nickel.

S30400 p. 13

0.03 max.

18.020.0

bal

2.00 max.

0.10 max

8.012.0

0.045 max

0.030 max

0.75 max

S30403 p. 12

0.08 max.

18.020.0

bal

2.00 max.

0.10 max

8.010.0

0.045 max

0.030 max

0.75 max

S31600 p. 13, 16

0.08 mas

16.018.0

bal

2.00 max.

0.10 max

10.014.0

0.045 max

0.030 max

0.75 max

S32304 p.2

0.03 max.

21.524.5

0.050.60

bal

2.50 max

0.050.60

0.050.20

3.05.5

0.040 max

0.030 max

1.00 max.

S32205 p. 6

0.030 max

22.023.0

bal

2.00 max

3.003.50

0.140.20

4.506.50

0.030 max

0.020 max.

1.00 max

G43400 p. 8

0.370.43

0.700.90

bal

0.600.80

0.200.30

1.652.00

0.035 max

0.040 max

0.150.30

H43200 p. 8

0.170.23

0.350.65

bal

0.400.70

0.200.30

1.552.00

0.035 max

0.040 max

0.150.30

T30109 p. 8

0.450.55

4.755.50

0.25 max

bal

0.5 max

1.301.80

1.251.75

0.03 max

0.951.15

0.801.40

T51606 p. 8

0.050.15

1.251.75

0.25 max

bal

0.350.70

3.253.75

0.03 max

0.100.40

K11538 p. 8

0.15 max

0.300.50

0.200.50

bal

0.801.35

0.250.50

0.04 max

0.05 max

0.150.30

0.0010.10

K81340 p. 8

0.13 max

bal

0.90 max

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NICKEL, VOL. 34, NO. 1, 2019 | 15

STORELGEN, THE MIGHTY MOOSE Along route E3 in Norway, a majestic moose towers 10.3 m high and stretches 11.5 m long, making him the world’s largest moose sculpture. The mammoth moose, known as “Storelgen” (The Big Moose or Elk), comes with his own humongous moose droppings scattered throughout the picnic area to the delight of weary travellers. The site was chosen to give motorists a reason to stop and stretch their legs and as a reminder to watch for local wildlife. Over 1,000 moose were struck by Storelgen took six months to complete and was shipped in pieces from China. He stands 50 cm taller than Canada’s Mac the Moose.

16 NICKEL, | NICKEL, VOL.VOL. 34,34, NO.NO. 1, 2019 1, 2019

vehicles in 2015 alone, before Storelgen was erected in October of that year. Storelgen was created by Norwegian artist Linda Bakke in collaboration with the Norwegian Public Roads

Administration and cost about US$236,000. The statue was fabricated in China using mirror-polished Type 316 (UNS S31600) stainless steel “to make the statue as durable and maintenance-free as possible”, says the artist. “And it was also a goal to beat Canada’s Mac the Moose and be the world largest moose sculpture – and the prettiest”.