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Aluminium and its alloys

EF420 Lecture 11
John Taylor
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Features
Large growth in use since 1950 (6 times)
Abundant metal - 8% of earths crust
Light weight SG = 2.7
Moderate to high strength (depending on alloy)
Conductivity high (pure metal & low alloys)
Corrosion resistant (Al
2
O
3
coating)
Reflectivity high
Non-magnetic
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Extraction
Al
2
O
3
obtained from bauxite by the Bayer
process
Al
2
O
3
reduced electrolytically by the Hall-
Heroult process to make aluminium
The large energy requirement for this process is
the major proportion of the cost of aluminium,
even with cheap energy sources.
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Fabrication
Ductile metal easily fabricated by rolling and
extrusion
Commercially pure metal can undertake a cold
reduction of 80 - 90% without annealing
Anneal at 350C
Machineability is good, but limited by the
tendency to gall
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Aluminium products
Cast alloys
Wrought products
Sheet, plate, foil
Rod, bar, wire, tube
Standard and special extruded shapes
Forgings, impacts (combined extrusion and
forging)
Powder metallurgy (dispersion strengthened)
products
Structural applications
Static building structures AS1664 series
Scaffolding and ladders
Transportation
Aerospace, road (trucks, buses, trailers), railway
Machinery and industrial equipment
Non-sparking tools, roofs to tanks, chemical process
vessels, jigs, patterns, instruments
Consumer durables
Structure of appliances: refrigerators, furniture, cooking
utensils
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Thermal and electrical
Electrical
Pure Al has 200% of the conductivity of copper
weight for weight
Conductors, heat sinks, capacitors, wave guides,
antennas
Reflectors
Mirrors, search lights, loft insulation
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Miscellaneous applications
Packaging
Drink cans, foil, hermetically sealed packs
Powders and pastes
Reflective paint, printing inks, pyrotechnics,
thermit welding
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Limits of use
Temperature range of -240C to +200C for
normal alloys
Up to 350C for special alloys
Up to 480C for short periods for dispersion
strengthened alloys
Low modulus of elasticity, requires stiffening
Inferior wear, creep, & fatigue properties to
steel
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Aluminium alloy designations
Aluminum Association (USA) and adopted in
Australian standards
Alloy designation systems for wrought
products and cast alloys
UNS numbers - A followed by AA number
Temper designation system for wrought
products
Some proprietary alloys
Wrought alloy designations
Alloy Group Designation
Pure aluminium (99.00% min) 1xxx
Al-Cu 2xxx
Al-Mn 3xxx
Al-Si 4xxx
Al-Mg 5xxx
Al-Mg-Si 6xxx
Al-Zn 7xxx
Al + other element 8xxx
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Alloy types and properties
Strain hardened alloys (plus solid solution hardening)
Precipitation (age) hardened alloys
Dispersion strengthened alloys
Yield strength from 28 MPa for 1050-O to 455 MPa
for 2024-T815
Strength increases at low temperature
No ductile-brittle transition
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Strain hardened alloy tempers
Code Description
-O Annealed
-F As fabricated (no mechanical
property limits)
-H1x Strain hardened
-H2x Strain hardened and partially
annealed
-H3x Strain hardened and stabilised
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Second and third digits
x usually is a digit between 0 and 9, but may be 2
digits
If x = 8, there has been the equivalent of a 75% cold
thickness reduction after anneal
Other x numbers represent a proportional amount of
strain
A 3rd digit indicates a special variation
eg 5083-H116 indicates this material has had a special heat
treatment to reduce exfoliation attack
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Precipitation (age) hardening
Solution treatment - a + b
alloy is heated into a
temperature range to
dissolve all B. Quenching
retains B in solution
(supersaturated)
Soft & ductile condition
Aging - holding solution
treated alloy at a
temperature at which fine
precipitates of b are formed
Strengthened condition
T (deg C)
Percentage B Pure A
Liquid
L + a
a + b
a
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Composition effects
Alloys with low levels of B will only display a weak age
hardening effect
Alloys with a high level of b, which cannot be dissolved on
solution treatment only display a weak hardening effect
Alloys with with intermediate levels of B have the highest
strengthening effect
These alloys only display a narrow temperature range for the
single phase (a) phase field
These alloys also have a wide solidification range, are likely to
crack during welding, and therefore have low weldability and
castability
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Age hardening alloy tempers
-O and -F tempers as above
-W: solution treated, but naturally aged
-T1 to -T10: indicates a combination of hot
work, cold work, solution treatment, and
aging
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Temper designations
T1 Hot work, then naturally age
T2 Hot work, cold work, then naturally
age
T3 Solution t reat, cold work, then
naturally age
T4 Solution t reat, then naturally age
T5 Hot work, then artificially age
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Temper designations
T6 Solution t reat and artificially age
T7 Solution t reat and stabilise (over
age)
T8 Solution t reat, cold work, then
artificially age
T9 Solution t reat, artificially age, then
cold work
T10 Hot work, cold work, then artificially
age
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1000 Series alloys
Pure Al, can be work hardened
Corrosion performance excellent
Electrical and thermal conductivity excellent
eg 1060: 99.6%Al min. 62 IACS
Yield strength up to 145 MPa (1050-H18)
Food, chemical, heat exchangers, electrical wiring,
capacitor foil
Weldable
2000 Series alloys
Up to 6.3% Cu
Eg 2014: 4.4Cu-0.8Si-0.8Mn-0.5Mg
Precipitation hardened
130 to 230C aging temperature - T6
R
P0.2
410 MPa typical
Aircraft structure and mechanical components,
vehicle body panels
Weldability poor to fair depending on alloy
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3000 Series
Up to 1.2Mn + Fe in some alloys
Eg 3004: 1.2Mn-1.0Mg
Strength from fine particles (Mn,Fe)Al
6
which pin
grain boundaries
Excellent formability and weldability, very high
corrosion resistance
Work hardened up to 250 MPa yield typical
3004-H38
Cans, chemical vessels, industrial roofing, culvert
pipe
5000 Series alloys
Mg up to 5.1% in solution increases work hardening
rate
Eg 5083: 4.4Mg-0.7Mn-0.15Cr
Work hardened up to 260 MPa yield
5083-H116: R
P0.2
228 MPa typical
Excellent weldability, moderate strength,
Good corrosion resistance
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5000 series alloy applications
Very popular alloys
Marine, auto and aircraft applications
Pressure vessels, cryogenics
Communication towers
Armour plate
Some alloys prone to exfoliation or stress corrosion if
Al
8
Mg
5
forms in grain boundaries
Avoid high Mg over 65C
6000 series
Combination of Mg and Si allows precipitation
hardening with Mg
2
Si precipitates
Eg 6061: 1Mg-0.6Si-0.3Cu-0.2Cr
6061-T6: R
P0.2
276 MPa typical
Easily workable alloy with excellent strength,
corrosion resistance
Limited to excellent weldability (alloy dependant)
Available as sheet, plate, extrusions
Applications as 5000 series
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Alclad
Many multiphase alloys have inferior
corrosion resistance
These alloys are available as Alclad sheet or
plate
This material has a thin layer of pure
aluminium roll bonded to one or both surfaces
to provide corrosion resistance
Fabrication must be undertaken so as to
maintain the integrity of this coating
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Dispersion strengthened
Precipitates resist dissolution at high temperatures
(up to 340C)
Powder metallurgy (P/M) products
SAP - sintered aluminium product (Al
2
O
3
)
Metal matrix composites
Rapid solidification (RS-P/M) hypereutectoid iron
alloys (plus other systems)
Mechanical alloying
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Dispersion strengthening
Proprietary and standard alloys
Can be welded but with some loss of properties
Aerospace applications
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Aluminium lithium
1 to 4% Lithium raises strength, raises elastic
modulus by up to 6%, lowers density by up to 4%
Strengthened by Al
3
Li, Al
2
CuMg, AL
2
CuLi precipitates
on aging (depending on composition)
Up to 585 MPa yield typical
Good weldability as well as high strength
Inferior toughness, ductility & stress corrosion
performance
Aerospace applications
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Fabrication
Machineability better than steel
Cold and hot workability excellent
Complex extrusion forms common
Joined by fusion and non-fusion welding, brazing,
soldering, adhesive bonding and mechanical
methods
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Cutting and machining
Plasma cutting - edges require further dressing
Shearing
Sawing
Extra clearance for chip release
Planing and milling
Power plane or rotary tungsten burrs
Filing and scraping
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Joining processes
GTAW and GMAW are the most common processes
OFW and MMAW require powerful fluxes
Resistance and pressure processes can be used for
many alloys
Brazing and soldering some application
Adhesives and mechanical fastening widely
applicable
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Weldability
Depends on welding process and alloy
composition
Varies from readily weldable (eg wrought
alloys by GTAW or GMAW) to not
recommended (eg brazing of 2014)
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Fusion welding
Tenacious oxide film
Prone to contamination by O
2
, N
2
, H
2
High conductivity, low melting temperature
Slags are tenacious, corrosive
Welds tend to under match strength
Solidification cracking, particularly of many heat
treatable alloys
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GTAW technique
Power type
AC sine or square wave for cleaning action
Zirconiated tungsten electrode
Shielding gas
Argon or argon helium
High current for thicker materials
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GMAW technique
Fine electrode wire tends to suffer feeding
problems
Feeders and guns
Push type limited to thicker wires and short cables
Push-pull
Spool guns
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Metal transfer
Spray transfer
High current works in all positions
Pulsed GMAW
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Technique
Porosity
Cleanliness
Preheat
Overcome high conductivity
Weld craters
Avoid solidification cracking
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Weld filler selection
Avoidance of cracking
Tensile strength of weld
Weld ductility
Service temperature
Corrosion resistance
Colour match after anodising
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Solidification cracking
Use matching filler for strain-hardened grades
Dont mix 4000 series and 5000 series alloys (Mg
2
Si
eutectics formed)
Dont mix 5000 series and 2000 series alloys
Many heat treatable grades are hot short
No autogenous welding
Avoid high dilution
Medium copper grades are unweldable
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Crack sensitivity
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Percentage Copper
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Percentage Magnesium
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HAZ cracking
Liquation cracking can occur in the HAZ of
age hardenable grades
Keep arc energy low
Choose fillers with a low solidification temperature
Weld metal properties
Matching weld to base material is easy for strain
hardened grades, but less easy for heat treatable
grades
Careful selection gives optimum properties
4346 filler for 6061-T6 heavy sections for highest strength
when solution treated and aged
1000 and 5000 series fillers for high ductility
Avoid filler with more than 3% Mg (5183, 5356, 5556, and
5654) for temperatures over 65C to avoid sensitisation to
SCC
HAZ properties
Heat of fusion welding causes softening of work
hardened grades
Effect is most pronounced where work hardening is highest
(H6, 7, 8 and 9 tempers)
Softening of heat treated grades can also occur
Age hardened grades (T6) have the most pronounced effect
If possible use the solution treated grade (6061-T4) and age
after welding
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Effect of temper
0 5 10 15 20
Distance from fusion line mm
6061-T4, AW
60
70
80
90
100
110 HV
6061-T4, PWA
6061-T6, AW
6061-T6, PWA
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Solid phase welding
Cold welding - 75% thickness reduction at lap joint
Ultrasonic welding - 1.5mm lap joints
Explosion welding - cladding and lap joints
Friction welding - Low weldability alloys and
dissimilar combinations,
Friction-stir welding
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Brazing
Restricted range of alloys
1000, 3000, 5000 with <2% Mg, 6000
Al-Si filler materials
Torch, dip, furnace or vacuum processes
Clean parts by etching
Fluxes are fluoride and chloride salts
Residues MUST be removed
Temperature control is critical
References
AS/NZS 1734: Sheet and plate
AS/NZS 1865: Wire, rod, strip
AS/NZS 1866: Extrusions
AS/NZS 1664: Design rules
AS/NZS 1665: Welding
WTIA Technical Note 2
AWS Handbook Volume 3
ASM Handbook Volumes 3 and 6
Metals and Alloys in the Unified Numbering System: Society of
Automotive Engineers (USA)