Nickel base alloy for precision resistors

Claim 2

A NICKEL BASE ALLOY PARTICULARLY USEFUL AS MATERIAL FOR HIGH PRECISION RESISTORS, CONSISTING ESSNTIALLY OF BETWEEN ABOUT 6% AND ABOUT 12% GALLIUM, BETWEEN ABOUT 7 AND ABOUT 12% VANADIUM, BETWEEN ABOUT 6 AND ABOUT 15% CHROMIUM, THE COMBINED CONTENT OF VANADIUM AND CHROMIUM BEING FROM ABOUT 18 TO ABOUT 15%, THE TOTAL CONTENT OF VANADIUM, CHROMIUM AND GALLIUM BEING FROM ABOUT 28% TO ABOUT 34%, AND THE BALANCE NICKEL.

Claim 3

An alloy according to claim 1, wherein the gallium content is between about 8 and about 11%, the vanadium content is between about 8 and about 10% and the chromium content is between about 8 and about 12%.

Claim 4

A nickel base alloy especially useful as material for high precision resistors, consisting essentially of between about 6 and about 12% gallium; between about 7 and about 12% vanadium; between about 6 and about 15% chromium; chromium, vanadium and gallium being primary alloying components, and at least one additional secondary alloying component selected from the group consisting of titanium, zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, manganese, technetium, rhenium, iron, cobalt, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, platinum, germanium, silicon, aluminum, boron, carbon, calcium, scandium, yttrium, lanthanum and lanthanides, the total content of said secondary alloying components not exceeding 10%; and the balance nickel, said alloy being essentially a solid solution of said primary and secondary alloying components in nickel wherein the combined content of chromium and vanadium is between about 18 and 24%, the combined content of germanium, silicon and/or aluminum is not in excess of 3%, the combined content of boron and/or carbon is not in excess of 0.02%, the combined content of calcium, scandium, yttrium, lanthanum and/or lanthanides is not in excess of 0.2%, the content of any one of said elements does not substantially exceed the limit beyond which decomposition of said solid solution occurs, and the total content of said primary and secondary alloying components is between about 28 and 34%.

Claim 5

A nickel base alloy especially useful as material for high precision resistors, consisting essentially of between about 6 and about 12% gallium; between about 7 and about 12% vanadium; between about 6 and about 15% chromium; chromium, vanadium and gallium being primary alloying components, and at least one additional secondary alloying component selected from the group consisting of titanium, zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, manganese, technetium, rhenium, iron, cobalt, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, platinum, germanium, silicon, aluminum, boron, carbon, calcium, scandium, yttrium, lanthanum and lanthanides, the total content of said secondary alloying components not exceeding 10%; and the balance nickel, said alloy being essentially a solid solution of said primary and secondary alloying components in nickel wherein the combined content of chromium and vanadium is between about 18 and 24%, the combined content of germanium, silicon and/or aluminum is not in excess of 3%, the combined content of boron and/or carbon is not in excess of 0.02%, the combined content of calcium, scandium, yttrium, lanthanum and/or lanthanides is not in excess of 0.2%, the content of any one of said elements does not substantially exceed the limit beyond which decomposition of said solid solution occurs, and the total content of said primary and secondary alloying components is between about 28 and 34%.

Claim 6

A nickel base alloy especially useful as material for high precision resistors, consisting essentially of between about 8 and about 11% gallium, between about 8 and about 12% chromium, between 8 and 10% vanadium, said alloy further containing at least one of the additional secondary alloying components selected from the group consisting of in the amounts as given:

Claim 7

A nickel base alloy especially useful as material for high precision resistors, consisting essentially of between about 8 and about 11% gallium, between about 8 and about 12% chromium, between 8 and 10% vanadium, said alloy further containing at least one of the additional secondary alloying components selected from the group consisting of in the amounts as given:

Claim 8

An alloy especially useful as material for high precision resistors, consisting essentially of chromium, vanadium, gallium and nickel, the content of gallium being between about 5.5 atomic % and about 11.5 atomic %, the content of nickel being between about 65 atomic % and 72 atomic %, the combined content of chromium and vanadium being between about 20 atomic % and about 25 atomic %, the content of vanadium being between about 8 atomic % and about 13.7 atomic %, and the content of chromium between 6.7 atomic % and 16.8 atomic %.

Claim 9

An alloy especially useful as material for high precision resistors, consisting essentially of chromium, vanadium, gallium and nickel, the content of gallium being between about 5.5 atomic % and about 11.5 atomic %, the content of nickel being between about 65 atomic % and 72 atomic %, the combined content of chromium and vanadium being between about 20 atomic % and about 25 atomic %, the content of vanadium being between about 8 atomic % and about 13.7 atomic %, and the content of chromium between 6.7 atomic % and 16.8 atomic %.

Claim 10

An alloy especially useful as material for high precision resistors, consisting essentially of a composition substantially conforming to the stoichiometric formula Ni2 Cr1/3 V1/3 Ga1/3.

Claim 11

An alloy especially useful as material for high precision resistors, consisting essentially of a composition substantially conforming to the stoichiometric formula Ni2 Cr1/3 V1/3 Ga1/3.

Claim 12

An alloy especially useful as material for high precision resistors, consisting essentially of a composition substantially conforming to the stoichiometric formula Ni2Me2/3M1/3, where Me is at least one metal selected from the group consisting of chromium, vanadium, rhenium, tungsten, molybdenum, niobium, titanium, manganese, tantalum, iron, cobalt, osmium, and mixtures thereof and M is at least one element selected from the group consisting of gallium, germanium, silicon, aluminum, and mixtures thereof, said alloy being essentially a solid solution of all of the said components in nickel, the content of vanadium being between 8.0 and 13.7 atomic %, the content of chromium being between 6.7 and 16.8 atomic %, and the content of gallium being between 5 and 11.5 atomic % and the content of any of said components not substantially exceeding the limit beyond which decomposition of said solid solution occurs.

Claim 13

An alloy especially useful as material for high precision resistors, consisting essentially of a composition substantially conforming to the stoichiometric formula Ni2Me2/3M1/3, where Me is at least one metal selected from the group consisting of chromium, vanadium, rhenium, tungsten, molybdenum, niobium, titanium, manganese, tantalum, iron, cobalt, osmium, and mixtures thereof and M is at least one element selected from the group consisting of gallium, germanium, silicon, aluminum, and mixtures thereof, said alloy being essentially a solid solution of all of the said components in nickel, the content of vanadium being between 8.0 and 13.7 atomic %, the content of chromium being between 6.7 and 16.8 atomic %, and the content of gallium being between 5 and 11.5 atomic % and the content of any of said components not substantially exceeding the limit beyond which decomposition of said solid solution occurs.

Claim 14

An alloy according to claim 7, wherein the combined content of chromium and vanadium is not less than 20 atomic %, the content of vanadium is not less than 9 atomic %, and the content of gallium is not less than 5.5 atomic %.