Comments on: Inconel http://www.ret-monitor.com/articles/1959/inconel/ Specific mission-critical info for professionals Fri, 18 May 2012 09:18:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Terry http://www.ret-monitor.com/articles/1959/inconel/comment-page-1/#comment-9846 Terry Sat, 17 Dec 2011 00:39:54 +0000 http://www.ret-monitor.com/articles/1959/inconel/#comment-9846 The author's comments regarding the availability/cost of some of the alloying elements used in engine materials is becoming of great concern. While the main alloying elements of Inconel, such as nickel and chromium, have prices/supply that are fairly stable, other elements such as cobalt are more problematic. Inconel 718 is much more widely used in aerospace/defense than in racing, and its availability in these industries is taken quite seriously. In fact, the US government takes this issue so seriously that the CIA has several analysts studying the issue full time. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2111.html Much of the world's current cobalt production is controlled by China. Since cobalt is necessary for production of Inconel and other high strength steel alloys, if there is a shortage of cobalt (for whatever reason) the supply of metals like Inconel will be directed towards aerospace/defense uses. And commercial users such as automotive/racing will go without. There is an even worse problem with the supply of rare earth materials (like neodymium) used for the permanent magnets in high performance electric motors. The whole history of strategic materials and technologies, and their use in racing is quite fascinating. Carbon-carbon brakes and clutches are now quite common in racing. But 40 years ago, the manufacture and use of CRC materials was tightly controlled by governments. The whole subject is quite fascinating. The author’s comments regarding the availability/cost of some of the alloying elements used in engine materials is becoming of great concern. While the main alloying elements of Inconel, such as nickel and chromium, have prices/supply that are fairly stable, other elements such as cobalt are more problematic. Inconel 718 is much more widely used in aerospace/defense than in racing, and its availability in these industries is taken quite seriously. In fact, the US government takes this issue so seriously that the CIA has several analysts studying the issue full time.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2111.html

Much of the world’s current cobalt production is controlled by China. Since cobalt is necessary for production of Inconel and other high strength steel alloys, if there is a shortage of cobalt (for whatever reason) the supply of metals like Inconel will be directed towards aerospace/defense uses. And commercial users such as automotive/racing will go without. There is an even worse problem with the supply of rare earth materials (like neodymium) used for the permanent magnets in high performance electric motors.

The whole history of strategic materials and technologies, and their use in racing is quite fascinating. Carbon-carbon brakes and clutches are now quite common in racing. But 40 years ago, the manufacture and use of CRC materials was tightly controlled by governments.

The whole subject is quite fascinating.

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