Aluminum (also known as aluminium) is the most abundant metal

element in the earth's crust. And it's a good thing too, because we use
a lot of it. About 41 million tons are smelted each year and employed
in a wide arrange of applications. From auto bodies to beer cans, and
from electrical cables to aircraft skins, aluminum is a very big part of
our everyday lives.
Properties:

Atomic Symbol: Al

Atomic Number: 13

Element Category: Post-transition metal

Density: 2.70 g/cm3

Melting Point: 1220.58 F (660.32 C)

Boiling Point: 4566 F (2519 C)

Moh's Hardness: 2.75

Characteristics:
Aluminum is a lightweight, highly conductive, reflective and nontoxic metal that can be easily machined. The metal's durability and
numerous advantageous properties makes it an ideal material for
many industrial applications.
Applications:
Aluminum's applications are too numerous to list, and because of the
metal's special properties researchers are finding new applications on
a regular basis. Generally speaking, aluminum and its many alloys are
used in three major industries; transportation, packaging and
construction.
Aluminum, in a variety of forms and alloys, is critical to the structural
components (frames and bodies) of aircraft, automobiles, trains and
boats. As much as 70% of some commercial aircrafts consist of
aluminum alloys (measured by weight). Whether the part requires
stress or corrosion resistance, or tolerance to high temperatures, the

type of alloy used is dependent upon the requirements for each

component part.
About 20% of all aluminum produced is used in packaging materials.
Aluminum foil is a suitable packaging material for food because of it is
non-toxic, whereas it is also a suitable sealant for chemical products
because of its low reactivity and is impermeable to light, water and
oxygen. In the US alone, about 100 billion aluminum cans are shipped
every year. Over half of these are eventually recycled.
Because of its durability and resistance to corrosion, about 15% of
aluminum produced each year is used in construction applications.
This includes windows and door-frames; roofing, siding and structural
framing, as well as gutters, shutters and garage doors.
Aluminum's electrical conductivity also allows it to be employed in
long distance conductor lines. Reinforced with steel, aluminum alloys
are more cost efficient than copper and reduce sagging due to their
light weight.
Other applications for aluminum include shells and heat sinks for
consumer electronics, street lighting poles, oilrig top-structures,
aluminum coated windows, cooking utensils, baseball bats and
reflective safety devices.
Sources:
Street, Arthur. & Alexander, W. O. 1944. Metals in the Service of Man.
11th Edition (1998).
USGS. Mineral Commodity Summaries: Aluminum
(2011). http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/aluminu
m/