Monel was created by Robert Crooks Stanley, who worked for the International Nickel Company (INCO) in 1901 and is considered the grandfather of the nickel industry. Monel alloy 400 is a binary alloy of the same proportions of nickel and copper as is found naturally in the nickel ore from the Sudbury (Ontario) mines and is therefore considered a puritan alloy.
Monel was named after company president Ambrose Monell and patented in 1906. One L was dropped because family names were not allowed as trademarks at that time. The name Monel is now a trademark of Special Metals Corporation. Monel is used for its high strength and toughness over a wide range of temperatures. It is commonly used in applications with highly corrosive environments.
It is composed of nickel (63 to 70%) and copper, and alloyed with small amounts of iron, manganese, carbon, and silicon. Stronger than pure nickel, Monel alloys are resistant to corrosion by many agents, including rapidly flowing seawater.
Monel is a relatively expensive alloy, with the cost ranging from 5 to 10 times the cost of copper and nickel, hence its use is limited to those applications where it cannot be replaced with cheaper alternatives such as in aerospace and medical applications. When long-term reliability is imperative, Monel wire may be the perfect solution.