Kanthal is the

trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from othe ...

for a family of iron-chromium-aluminium (FeCrAl)

alloy An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which at least one is a metal. Unlike chemical compounds with metallic bases, an alloy will retain all the properties of a metal in the resulting material, such as electrical conductivity, ductilit ...

s used in a wide range of resistance and high-temperature applications. Kanthal FeCrAl alloys consist of mainly

iron Iron () is a chemical element with Symbol (chemistry), symbol Fe (from la, Wikt:ferrum, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 element, group 8 of the periodic table. It is, Abundanc ...

, chromium (20–30%) and

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...

(4–7.5 %). The first Kanthal FeCrAl alloy was developed by Hans von Kantzow in

Hallstahammar Hallstahammar () is a locality and the seat of Hallstahammar Municipality in Västmanland County, Sweden with 10,478 inhabitants in 2010. Overview The King Gustaf Vasa built Strömsholm Castle along the lake about 1558. Its current appearance g ...

, Sweden. The alloys are known for their ability to withstand high temperatures and having intermediate electric resistance. As such, it is frequently used in

heating element A heating element converts electrical energy into heat through the process of Joule heating. Electric current through the element encounters resistance, resulting in heating of the element. Unlike the Peltier effect, this process is indepen ...

s. The trademark Kanthal is owned by ''

Sandvik Sandvik AB is a Swedish multinational engineering company specializing in metal cutting, digital and additive manufacturing, mining and construction, stainless and special steel alloys, and industrial heating. The company was founded in Swed ...

Intellectual Property AB''.

Characteristics

For heating,

resistance wire Resistance wire is wire intended for making electrical resistors (which are used to control the amount of current in a circuit). It is better if the alloy used has a high resistivity, since a shorter wire can then be used. In many situations, the ...

must be stable in air when hot. Kanthal FeCrAl alloy forms a protective layer of aluminium oxide ( alumina). Aluminium oxide has high

thermal conductivity The thermal conductivity of a material is a measure of its ability to conduct heat. It is commonly denoted by k, \lambda, or \kappa. Heat transfer occurs at a lower rate in materials of low thermal conductivity than in materials of high thermal ...

but is an electrical insulator, so special techniques may be required to make good electrical connections. Ordinary Kanthal FeCrAl alloy has a melting point of . Special grades can be used as high as . Depending on specific composition the resistivity is about 1.4μΩ·m and temperature coefficient is +49ppm/K ().

Uses

Kanthal is used in heating elements due to its flexibility, durability and tensile strength. Its uses are widespread, for example in toasters, home and industrial heaters, kilns and diffusion heaters (used in the making of crystalline silicon). Kanthal is used for heating coils in electronic cigarettes. Unlike alternative types of metal such as Nichrome, Kanthal is durable enough to withstand the temperatures needed, but flexible and cheap enough to be practical.

References

External links

The brand website for Kanthal products

Resistance wire technical information tables
{{Authority control Chromium alloys Ferrous alloys Refractory metals Swedish inventions de:Heizleiterlegierung#Kanthal

Characteristics

Uses

See also

References

External links