Aluminium alloy

Properties
Atomic number: 13
Atomic mass: 26.982
Crystal structure: fcc, a=0.4041 nm
Melting poiny: 660°C
Boiling point: 2520°C
Density (d): 2.7 g/c𝑚3
Elastic modulus E: 70GPa
Specific modulus E/r: 26
8% aluminium in the earth.
Aplications:
Building and construction
Containers and packaging
Transportations
Electrical conductors
Machinery and equipment

Fabrication processes
• From mineral to structural elements
o Obtain it in fused form from the mineral bauxite, whose components are
alumina, iron oxide, silicon and water of hydration.
• In the Bayer process
o Pure alumina is extracted from bauxite using a sodium hydroxide solution
to precipitate aluminum hydroxide which is then subjected to calcination to
form alumina.
• The Hall–Heroult process
o Is then used to reduce the alumina to pure aluminum. This is an electrolytic
process in which alumina, dissolved in a bath of cryolite, is reduced to pure
aluminum by high electrical currents.
Hall-Heroult process
1. Aluminium metal is obtained by electrolytic reduction of alumina.
2. Pure alumina melts at over 2000 °C.
3. To produce an electrolyte at lower temperature, alumina is disolved in molten
cryolite at 1000 °C.
4. The electrolyte is placed in an iron vat lined with graphite.
5. The vat serves as the cathode. Carbon anodes are inserted into the electrolyte from
the top.
6. Theo oxygen produced at the anodes reacts with them, forming carbon dioxide and
carbon monoxide.
7. Therefore, the carbon anodes are consumed and need to be replaced periodically.
8. Molten aluminium metal is produced at the cathode, and it sinks to the bottom of
the vat.

Classification of alloys
Aluminium alloys are usually classified either with respect to the fabrication process
(casting alloys and wrought alloys) and to the heat treatment (heat-treated alloys and non-
heat-treated alloys), or with respect to the chemical composition.
 1. A first figure of 1 denotes those alloys in which the aluminium is greater than 99
percent. A first figure from 2 to 8 denotes the other alloys
2. The second figure represents the level of impurities. It is equal to zero if the
impurities are uncontrolled, and it can vary between 1 and 9 depending upon the
level which the impurity content is not to exceed.
3. In the first group (called pure aluminium) the third and fourth figures indicate the
percentage of aluminium above 99 percent, e.g. 1070 alloys has an aluminium
content of 99.70 percent.

The temper designations for aluminum alloys

• F rough stage of fabrication.
o This symbol is applied to work-hardened products, without control of the
cold working-rate and the heat treatment. Mechanical properties cannot be
defined, and therefore guaranteed, in these work hardenable products.
• O annealed stage.
o (Only valid in the case of work-hardenable products.) This is the most
ductile stage. Conversely, strength is very low.
• H work-hardened stage.
o This stage represents those alloys whose strength is increased by cold
working, and in some cases where a soft-annealing process follows. The
symbol H is usually followed by two or three letters.
• W tempered nonstabilized stage.
o This is an unstable metallurgical stage of those alloys which are tempered
and aged at room temperature after solution. The symbol is followed by a
number indicating the natural ageing period (e.g. W ½ hour).
• T heat-treated stage.
o This represents those products which have been heat treated by a
combination of the following processes:
▪ Solution
▪ Tempering
▪ Natural ageing
▪ Quenching

Important
During casting of aluminum ingots, it is important to remove as many oxide inclusions and
as much hydrogen gas as possible. Oxides originate primarily from moisture on the furnace
charge being melted; therefore, every effort is made to insure that the materials are dry and
free of moisture. Hydrogen gas can cause surface blistering in sheets and is a primary cause
of porosity in castings. Fluxing with chlorine, inert gases, and salts is used to remove the
oxides and hydrogen from the melt before casting.
Hot rolling of as-cast ingots consists of:
1. Scalping of ingots.
2. Homogenizing the ingots.
3. Reheating the ingots to the hot rolling temperature, if necessary.
4. Hot rolling to form a slab.
5. Intermediate annealing and.
6. Cold rolling and annealing for sheet.

Extrusion
Extruded structural sections are produced by hot extrusion in which
a heated cylindrical billet is pushed under high pressure through a
steel die to produce the desired structural shape.

Heat Treating
For aluminum alloys, the term “heat treating” usually refers to precipitation hardening of
the heat treatable aluminum alloys. Annealing, a process that reduces strength and hardness
while increasing ductility.

Forming
Due to their FCC structure and their relatively slow rate of work hardening, aluminum
alloys are highly formable at room temperature.

Casting
Due to their lower properties and higher variability than wrought product forms, aluminum
castings are not used for primary structural applications. But for lightly loaded secondary
structures, castings can offer significant cost savings by reducing part count and the
associated assembly cost. Aluminum casting alloys have different compositions than the
wrought alloys, i.e. they are tailored to increase the fluidity of the molten metal, be resistant
to hot tearing during solidification, and reproduce the details of the mold shape.

Summary
Aluminum alloys have played a critical role in modern aviation. Aluminum is a relatively
low cost, lightweight metal that can be heat treated to fairly high strength levels, and its
ease of fabrication leads to low costs. It has a high strength to-weight ratio and performs
well from cryogenic temperatures to moderate temperatures. The disadvantages of high
strength aluminum alloys include a low modulus of elasticity, rather low elevated
temperature capability, and susceptibility to corrosion.
ALEACIONES PARA FORJA
Aleaciones sin tratamiento térmico
Aleaciones 1xxx: Se utilizan principalmente para trabajos de laminados en frío
Aleaciones 3xxx: Se utilizan en componentes que exijan buena mecanibilidad
Aleaciones 4xxx: La principal aplicación de las aleaciones aluminio-silicio son la fundición
de piezas difíciles, pero buenas cualidades de moldeo, y la fabricación de piezas para la
marina, por su resistencia a la corrosión. Pero no se emplean para piezas ornamentales
porque ennegrecen con el tiempo.
Aleaciones 5xxx: Esta aleación se utiliza para conseguir reforzamiento en
solución sólida.

Aleaciones con tratamiento térmico

Aleaciones 2xxx: Se utiliza en la fabricación de estructuras de aviones.
Aleaciones 6xxx: Es utilizada para perfiles y estructuras en general
Aleaciones 7xxx: Se utiliza para fabricar estructuras de aviones