Steel card
2.4360 | Alloy 400 | NiCu30Fe | UNS N04400 | BS NA13 | EG 1
2.4360 | Alloy 400 | NiCu30Fe | UNS N04400 | BS NA13 | EG 1
This nickel alloy is available from stock.
Please send enquiries to:
- Lothar Wendt
- phone: +49 (2133) 2706-28
- email: [email protected]
VALBRUNA GRADE
Alloy 400 | 2.4360
STEEL TYPE
Corrosion Resistant Alloys
Profil shapes
- Round EN 10060 / EN 10278
- Flat EN 10058 / EN 10278
- Square EN 10059 / EN 10278
- Hexagonal EN 10278
- Angle EN 10056
- Bar steel, bright steel, wire, wire rod, billets, ingots, semi-finished products
Description of material
Alloy 400 | 2.4360 is a single phase solid solution Nickel – Copper alloy with very high corrosion resistance in marine and chemical environments and excellent mechanical properties at sub-zero temperatures, as well as good high temperature properties up to 450 C°. The yield and tensile strength of this grade can only be increased by cold working. Depending on the chemical balance of each heat, Alloy 400 | 2.4360 could have a ferromagnetic behavior and this should be evaluated if magnetic permeability were a concern.
Applications
Many marine applications such as fasteners, pumps and some kinds of propeller shafts, valves, tanks and any device or marine fixture for sea water service. Mostly used in off shore structures, in desalination and chemical plants and in sour gas environments.
Designations
| Commercial name | Alloy 400 |
| International Designation | NiCu30Fe |
| W.N. | (2.4360) |
| UNS | N04400 |
| BS | NA13 |
Chemical composition
| Chemical element | C | Mn | Si | S | P | Ni | Cu | Fe | Al | Co | Sn | Zn | Pb |
| Minimum value % | - | - | - | - | - | 63% | 28% | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Maximum value % | 0,2% | 2% | 0,5% | 0,015% | 0,02% | - | 34% | 2,5% | 0,5% | 2% | 0,006% | 0,02% | 0,006% |
Mechanical properties
| Condition | Subtype | Rm [N/mm²] | Rm [Ksi] | Rp0,2% [N/mm²] | Rp0,2% [Ksi] | E4d [%] |
| Hot Worked - Hot worked Ø ≤ 304 | HW - HW | 552 min | 80 min | 276 min | 40 min | 20 min |
| Hot Worked - Stress Relieved Ø ≤ 304 | HW - SR | 552 min | 80 min | 276 min | 40 min | 20 min |
| Hot Worked - Hot worked 305 < Ø≤356 | HW - HW | 517 min | 75 min | 276 min | 40 min | 20 min |
| Hot Worked - Stress Relieved 305<Ø≤356 | HW - SR | 517 min | 75 min | 276 min | 40 min | 20 min |
| Hot Worked - Solution Annealed | HW - A | 480 min | 70 min | 170 min | 25 min | 25 min |
| Cold Worked - Hot Worked Ø ≤ 12,70 | CW - HW | 760 min | 110 min | 585 min | 85 min | 8 min |
| Cold Worked - Stress Relieved | CW - SR | 580 min | 84 min | 345 min | 50 min | 10 min |
FAQ
Alloy 400 is the common designation for a nickel-copper alloy with high corrosion resistance and good mechanical durability across a wide range of applications. In data sheets, orders and standards this material is listed under the following designations: 2.4360 (material number according to DIN/EN), NiCu30Fe (chemical short designation), UNS N04400 (US nomenclature), BS NA13 (British standard) and Monel® 400 (registered trademark of Special Metals Corporation). Anyone who reads one of these terms in tenders can, in principle, offer Alloy 400 – provided the required specification and product form are covered.
Compared with austenitic stainless steels, Alloy 400 offers significantly better resistance in seawater, salt solutions, hydrofluoric acid and many reducing media. Stainless steel usually remains more economical in less aggressive media; Alloy 400 is used where pitting corrosion, stress corrosion cracking or chemical attack limit the service life of stainless steel. Compared with the copper-based seawater-resistant CuNi alloys, the high nickel content results in high cavitation resistance on components exposed to flow. In fresh water or low-aggression atmospheres the use of 2.4360 is not necessary – here stainless steels are more economical. Switching to Alloy 400 typically pays off with permanent seawater contact, when handling HF/HCl at medium concentrations, or where stress corrosion cracking occurs on stainless steels.
Alloy 400 is a single-phase nickel-copper solid-solution alloy. The reference values (mass fractions) are usually: nickel (Ni) at least 63 %, copper (Cu) 28–34 %, iron (Fe) up to 2.5 %, manganese (Mn) up to 2.0 %, silicon (Si) up to 0.5 %, carbon (C) up to 0.3 %, sulfur (S) up to 0.024 %. Further restrictions are possible according to customer specifications for special applications.
In the soft-annealed condition, Alloy 400 typically has a tensile strength of about 480 to 620 MPa, a 0.2% proof stress from 170 MPa and an elongation at break of at least 35 %. Stress-relief annealing results in strengths in the range of 550 to 600 MPa. The strength can be increased by cold working; precipitation hardening is not possible.
Typical areas of application are offshore and marine technology, ship technology, the chemical process industry, petrochemicals, salt extraction, seawater desalination, power plant construction, valve technology and pump construction. Common components are shafts, bolts, fasteners, pump parts, valve parts, pipes, heat exchanger components and apparatus components.
Alloy 400 shows very good resistance in seawater and in chloride-containing environments. The alloy is also resistant to many non-oxidizing acids, hydrofluoric acid and fluorine compounds, and is considered insensitive to chloride-induced stress corrosion cracking. Alloy 400 reaches its limits in strongly oxidizing media (concentrated nitric acid, oxidizing molten salts) as well as in moist, ammonia-containing atmospheres – here alternative nickel-based materials should be used.
For permanent use, Alloy 400 is generally used up to about 425 °C according to VdTÜV material sheet 263; other codes such as the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code allow higher service temperatures up to 480 °C depending on the atmosphere. In sulfur-containing or strongly oxidizing media the limits must be assessed more conservatively; for example, sulfide corrosion can already be expected from 300 °C. Use in the low-temperature range is uncritical; the VdTÜV material data sheet gives a lower temperature limit of -10 °C. However, use under cryogenic conditions is also possible.
Alloy 400 can be processed well with the fusion welding processes TIG, MIG/MAG, plasma and SAW; manual arc welding (MMA) with covered stick electrodes is also possible. As filler material for welding wire and wire electrodes, the similar NiCu alloy FM 60 (S Ni 4060 / ERNiCu-7) is usually used; the core wire for covered stick electrodes is generally identical 2.4360. When machining, the pronounced work hardening must be taken into account, so stable tools, adapted cutting parameters and sufficient cooling are required. For ordering, material number 2.4360 and UNS N04400 should always be specified together with the common material standards ASTM B164, ASTM B165, DIN 17743 or QQ-N-281 to avoid confusion with similar NiCu alloys.