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INFORMATION
Aluminum and Aluminum Alloys
Types, Characteristics
What is Temper
What is Finishing
Alloy Numbers
• What is an alloy?
•
An alloy is simply a mixture of metals melted together to form a
new metal with characteristics distinct from those metals from
which it is made.
Commercially pure aluminum has a tensile strength of about 13,000 psi, but by
rolling or other cold-working processes, its strength may be approximately
doubled.
By alloying with other metals, together with the use of heat-treating processes,
the tensile strength may be raised to as high as 96,000 psi, or to well within the
strength range of structural steel.
advantage/disadvantage
One disadvantage of aluminum alloy is the difficulty of making reliable
soldered joints.
Oxidation of the surface of the heated metal prevents soft solder from
adhering to the material; therefore, to produce good joints of aluminum
alloy, a riveting process is used.
T1 Cooled after being shaped to its final dimensions during a process involving a lot of
heat (such as extrusion), then naturally aged to a stable condition.
T2 Cooled after being shaped to its final dimensions during a process involving a lot of heat
(such as extrusion), then cold worked.
T3 Solution heat treated, cold worked and naturally aged to a stable condition.
T5 Cooled after being shaped to its final dimensions during a process involving a lot of heat
(such as extrusion), then artificially aged. T5 is T1 that has been artificially aged.
T6 Solution heat treated and artificially aged to a stable condition. T6 is T4 that has been artificially aged.
T7 Solution heat treated and naturally aged past the point of a stable condition. This process
provides control of some special characteristics.
T8 Solution heat treated, cold worked and artificially aged. T8 is T3 that has been artificially
aged.
T9 Solution heat treated, artificially aged and cold worked A stable temper T9 is T6 that has
been cold worked.
T10 Cooled after being shaped to its final dimensions during a process involving a lot of heat
(such as extrusion), then cold worked and artificially aged. T10 is T2 that has been artificially
aged.
What is Finishing?
Finishing aluminum is a little more complex than it seems at first.
Aluminum is an extremely reactive metal.
It combines instantly on contact with air to form a thin film of aluminum oxide .
This film is not really visible, but it if the metal is touched, it comes off on your
hands as a black smudge
Polishing
It can be polished, with an abrasive finish, or even a high polish, but the metal
itself is comparatively soft.
Lacquering
The best way for a fabricator keep the silvery look of the parent metal is to
abrade the surface with the abrasive finish you require,
then lacquer the piece with a clear organic finish that is specifically designed for
use with aluminum
conventional finishes will either react with the metal, or will not adhere
correctly.
Anodizing
It is a process of dipping the aluminum into a liquid solution
that contains chemicals that clear the metal surface of its
coating of aluminum oxide where a dye is introduced into the
solution which can now penetrate the surface of the metal to
some depth.
Under this arrangement, wrought aluminum and wrought aluminum alloys are
designated by a four-digit index system.
The first digit of the designation indicates the major alloying element or alloy group
The last two of the four digits indicate the minimum aluminum
percentage.
Thus, alloy 1030 indicates 99.30 percent aluminum without special
control on impurities.
Alloys 1130, 1230, 1330, etc., indicate the same aluminum purity with
special control on one or more impurities.
Likewise, 1075, 1175,1275, etc., indicate 99.75 percent aluminum.
ALLOY NUMBERS - 3
In the 2xxx through 8xxx groups
The last two of the four digits have no special significance, but serve
only to identify the different alloys in the group
DESIGNATIONS FOR ALUMINUM ALLOY GROUPS
Alloy 2011
A free machining, heat treatable alloy, with fair corrosion resistance, but not very easily welded.
2011-T3: Heat treated, cold worked and naturally aged
Alloy 2024
Heat treatable with high strength, good machinability and fair corrosion resistance. It welds very poorly.
2024-O: Annealed (or "soft", bendable condition)
2024-T3: Heat treated, cold worked and naturally aged
2024-T351: Heat treated, cold worked and naturally aged
Alloy 3003
This alloy is not heat treatable but welds very well and has very good workability. Like alloy 1100 it is somewhat soft
and difficult to machine.
3003-H14: Strain hardened
3003-H22: Strain hardened, partially annealed
Alloy 5005
Poor machinability, good workability and welds very well. It finishes very well, and offers excellent corrosion
resistance.
5005-H34: Strain-hardened and stabilized
Alloy 5052
Strong, not heat treatable, easily welded, with excellent corrosion characteristics.
5052-O: Annealed (or "soft", bendable condition)
5052-H32: Strain-hardened and stabilized
Alloy 5086
Very strong, not heat treatable, with excellent corrosion resistance and good weldability.
5086-H116: Strain-hardened only
5086-H32: Strain-hardened and stabilized
5086-H34: Strain-hardened and stabilized
Alloy 6061
Heat treatable, easily welded, with very good corrosion resistance and finishing characteristics. Very commonly used for architectural products
6061-O: Annealed (or "soft", bendable condition)
6061-T4: Heat treated and naturally aged
6061-T6: Heat treated and artificially aged
6061-T65: Heat treated and artificially aged
6061-T6511: Heat treated and artificially aged
Alloy 6063
This heat treatable is specifically designed for extrusions, very popular for architectural shapes.
6063-T52: Cooled from an elevated temperature shaping process and artificially aged
Alloy 7050
High strength, excellent corrosion resistence, heat treatable, and weldable, but has poor workability.
7050-T7451: Heat treated, overaged and strengthened
Alloy 7075
Heat treatable, this alloy is the strongest and hardest aluminum alloy. It has good machining characteristics but is not very easliy welded nor is
it very workable.
7075-O: Annealed (or "soft", bendable condition)
7075-T6: Heat treated and artificially aged
7075-T651: Heat treated and artificially aged
Heat Treatment for Aluminum -2
Solution Heat Treatments
Improve mechanical properties by developing maximum practical
concentration of the hardening constituents in solid solution;
involves heating to above the critical temperature, holding, and
abrupt quenching.
Quenching
Cooling alloy fast enough to retain a supersaturated solid
solution of alloying constituents without introducing adverse
metallurgical or mechanical conditions; Most common quenching
media are water, air blast, soap solutions and hot oil
Heat Treatment for Aluminum - 3
Precipitation Hardening:
Some times called age hardening, used on aluminum, copper, nickel,
magnesium and some stainless alloys
Ageing:
The ageing process can be divided into two main categories after the
ageing temperature
Natural Ageing:
The Heat treatable alloys changes properties when stored at room
temperature after solution heat treatment and quenching.
Annealing
Aids in workability by softening aluminum and heat
treated alloy structures to relive stresses and stabilize
properties and dimensions of product
Figure 1: Al-Cu phase diagram (Al rich, partial), showing
three
steps in precipitation hardening and the
Guinier –Preston Zones (GP zones).
The first step in the process of aging is the