OhmAlloy-4J29 (Expansion alloy)
(Common Name: Kovar, Nilo K, KV-1, Dilver P_o, Vacon 12)

OhmAlloy-4J29 also known as Kovar alloy. it was invented to meet the need for a reliable glass-to-metal seal, which is required in electronic devices such as light bulbs, vacuum tubes, cathode ray tubes, and in vacuum systems in chemistry and other scientific research. Most metals cannot seal to glass because their coefficient of thermal expansion is not the same as glass, so as the joint cools after fabrication the stresses due to the differential expansion rates of the glass and metal cause the joint to crack.

Kovar is a nickel–cobalt ferrous alloy compositionally identical to Fernico, designed to be compatible with the thermal expansion characteristics of borosilicate glass (~5 × 10−6 /K between 30 and 200 °C, to ~10 × 10−6 /K at 800 °C) in order to allow direct mechanical connections over a range of temperatures. It finds application in electroplated conductors entering glass envelopes of electronic parts such as vacuum tubes (valves), X-ray and microwave tubes and some lightbulbs.

The name Kovar is often used as a general term for Fe–Ni alloys with these particular thermal expansion properties. Note the related particular Fe–Ni alloy Invar which exhibits minimum thermal expansion.

OhmAlloy-4J29was invented to meet the need for a reliable glass-to-metal seal, which is required in electronic devices such as light bulbs, vacuum tubes, cathode ray tubes, and in vacuum systems in chemistry and other scientific research. Most metals cannot seal to glass because their coefficient of thermal expansion is not the same as glass, so as the joint cools after fabrication the stresses due to the differential expansion rates of the glass and metal cause the joint to crack.

Normal composition%

Tensile Strength, MPa

Typical Physical properties

Coefficient of expansion

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