GENERAL ALUMINUM

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.


What is an Aluminum Alloy?

An Aluminum alloy is an alloy primarily of pure aluminum,
mixed with different alloying elements that give rise to an entire
range of materials, each of which is designed to maximize a
particular characteristic such as strength, ductility, formability,
machine-ability, or electrical conductivity


Aluminum and Aluminum Alloys

Commercially pure aluminum is a white, lustrous metal,
light in weight and corrosion resistant.

Aluminum alloys in which the principal alloying ingredients are:
manganese,
magnesium,
chromium,
magnesium and silicon,
On the other hand, those alloys in which substantial
percentages of copper are used are more susceptible to
corrosive action.

The total percentage of alloying elements is seldom more
than 6 or 7 percent in the wrought aluminum alloys.

TYPES, CHARACTERISTICS, AND USES
Aluminum is one of the most widely used metals in modern aircraft
construction. It is vital to the aviation industry because of its high
strength/weight ratio, its corrosion-resisting qualities, and its
comparative ease of fabrication.

The outstanding characteristic of aluminum is its light weight.

Commercially pure aluminum melts at the comparatively low
temperature of 1,216F.
It is nonmagnetic, and is an excellent conductor of electricity.

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.

Some aluminum alloys are also successfully welded.

The various types of aluminum maybe divided into two classes:

a. Casing alloys (those suitable for casting in sand, permanent mold,
and die castings)

b. Wrought alloys (those that may be shaped by rolling, drawing, or
forging).

This is the quality of metal that describes its
ability to spring back after it is flexed . It doesnt
have anything to do with how hard the metal is.

Soft temper means that when it is bent, it stays
bent, and it doesnt take much force to do it.

Hard temper means that when it is bent, it springs
back flat, and it takes a lot of force to put a kink
into it.




The temper designation follows the alloy designation and
shows the actual condition of the metal.

alloy designation by a letter and dash.

The letter F following the alloy designation indicates the "as
fabricated condition, in which no effort has been made to
control the mechanical properties of the metal,

The letter O indicates dead soft, or annealed, condition.

The letter W indicates solution heat treated.
Solution heat treatment consists of heating the metal to a
high temperature followed by a rapid quench in cold water
, This in an unstable temper, applicable only to those alloys
that spontaneously age at room temperature.
The letter H indicates:
strain hardened, cold-worked, hand-drawn, or
rolled. Additional digits are added to the H to
indicate the degree of strain hardening.
This letter designates a process of stretching or
compressing in order to impart a particular
temper.
H_1 1/8 hard
H_2 1/4 hard
H_3 3/8 hard
H_4 1/2 hard
H_5 5/8 hard
H_6 3/4 hard
H_7 7/8 hard
H_8 Full hard


The letter T tempers (thermally treated tempers) These tempers are imparted by heating,
quenching, or cooling in a controlled way. Greater strength is obtainable in the heat-
treatable alloys

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.

T4 Solution heat treated 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.

The process requires a high current to pass through the metal
during the process in order to fix the dye and seal the
aluminum with a hard surface.

ALLOY NUMBERS
These numbers refer to a specific chemical composition
of the aluminum alloy - the "recipe" of the metal.

Pure aluminum is not a very useful product in any
structural work - aluminum products almost without
exception are produced from batches of pure aluminum
mixed with a number of alloying elements that have been
carefully specified to maximize particular characteristics of
the finished metal.

For example, an aluminum alloy that is easily extruded,
May be difficult to machine,
An alloy that machines well, may be difficult to weld,.

ALLOY NUMBERS -1
Aluminum products are identified by a universally used designation
system.

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 lxxx indicates aluminum of 99.00 percent or
greater;

The 2xxx indicates an aluminum alloy in which copper
is the major alloying element;

The 3xxx indicates an aluminum alloy with manganese
as the major alloying element; etc..

ALLOY NUMBERS - 2
In the 1xxx group, the second digit in the designation indicates
modifications in impurity limits.
If the second digit is zero,
it indicates that there is no special control on individual
impurities.

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 second digit indicates alloy modifications.
If the second digit in the designation is zero,
It indicates the original alloy, while numbers 1 through 9,
assigned consecutively, indicate alloy modifications.

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

Aluminum- 99.0 percent minimum and greater
1xxx
Aluminum alloy, grouped by major alloying
element:
Copper2xxx
Manganese.. .....3xxx
Silicon.4xxx
Magnesium.5xxx
Magnesium and silicon ...6xxx
Zinc..7xxx

THE ALLOYS


Alloy 1100
A low strength but very workable alloy with excellent corrosion resistance. It is not heat
treatable. It is easily welded, however it is soft, and spalls when machined.
1100-O: Annealed (or "soft", bendable condition)
1100-H14: Strain hardened

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.

Artificial Ageing: By heating the solution heat treated material to a
temperature above room temperature and holding it there the precipitation
accelerates and the strength is farther increased compare to natural ageing


Heat Treatment for Aluminum
Preheating or Homogenizing
Typically a preliminary to other treatments to reduce
chemical segregation of cast structures and improve
their workability; reduce brittleness in cast structure


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
The first step in the process of aging is the
formation of Guinier Preston Zones (GP zones).

GP Zones are solute atoms that have diffused into
coherent clusters.

Coherent clusters are clusters of the solute atoms
that distort the crystal structure, but are still
connected to the rest of the crystal structure.

The GP Zones contain these solute clusters that
stop the procession of dislocations, thus
strengthening the material.

GP I Zones,
which are very thin precipitates form first, right after the
supersaturated solid solution has been heated below the
solvus temperature (solution-treatment).
Then the GP I Zones thicken into thin disks called GP II
Zones. If diffusion continues, the GP II Zones will grow
into coherent equiaxed theta prime precipitates.
Finally, incoherent stable theta precipitates

Under aging occurs when the alloy is heated for
too short of time. This will provide a relatively weak
alloy due to the undeveloped GP zones.

Over aged, which indicates that the alloy had been
heated for too long of time, the final product will be
a relatively weak alloy. Maximum strength is
obtained when the alloy is critically aged.


Dimensional changes can occur in the specimen
during age hardening. The change depends on the
type of alloy, size and shape of the specimen,
quenching process, aging temperature an time.


Before Solution Heat Treatment After Solution Heat Treatment
Figure 2:
Al-Cu phase diagram showing GP Zones