1. Nickel properties

1.1 Physical properties

Pure nickel is a grayish-white, shiny, hard metal with a fibrous fracture. It is malleable (i.e., it can be easily deformed by rolling), ductile (i.e., it can be drawn into wires or bars without breaking) and magnetic up to around 353°C.

Its main physical characteristics are summarized below [1] :

• density: 8,900 kg/m ³ (i.e. 8.9 kg/dm ³ ) ;

• Brinell hardness in the annealed condition: approx. 85, under a load of 3,000 kg ;

• Young's modulus at ordinary temperature: 21,000...