Aluminum Properties

 

Aluminum is with 8% the third most common element on earth after oxygen and silicon. Due to its low density of 2.7g / cm³, it has only one third of the weight of steel and is almost half as heavy as titanium. The weight of the different metals depends primarily on the alloy used. For carbon, the weight is mainly dependent on the resin mixture used.

 

Aluminum Density / Specific Gravity:

Steel:               7,5g – 8,5g / cm³

Titanium:         4,5g – 4,8g / cm³

Aluminum:       2,7g / cm³

Carbon:           1,5g / cm³

 

An aluminum alloy united very many advantages. Compared to steel, aluminum is very light (aluminum density = 2.7g / cm³) and at the same time very strong. It can be hardened and many high-strength alloys with specific properties are available. For many applications the strength is sufficient and due to the advantages of an aluminum alloy it is often the best choice of material.

 

Further advantages are the insensitivity to temperature fluctuations, it is UV-resistant, corrosion-resistant, electrically conductive, hygienic and magnetically neutral. As a surface finish, aluminum can be powder coated or anodized in almost any color. Passivation is also possible, it has the advantage that the surface is electrically conductive. For many applications this is a very important property.

 

Comparison aluminum properties and steel properties

In der folgenden Tabelle stellen wir die Eigenschaften von Aluminium und Stahl gegenüber. Bei vielen Eigenschaften ist das Material Aluminium besser als Stahl. Wobei man auch klar sagen muss, dass bei einigen Anwendungen kein Weg an Stahl vorbeigeht.

 

Properties Aluminum Properties
Steel Properties
Weight very low (2,7g / m³) high (7,5g - 8,5g / m³)
Durability very high very high
Formability very high partly high, depending on steel grade
Machining possibilities practically everything possible partly limited, depending on steel grade
Corrosion none possible, even with stainless steel under certain circumstances
Thermal conductivity very good moderate
Stromleitfähigkeit very good moderate
Hygiene and food safety very good with certain steel alloys also very good
Weather resistance very high high with certain steel alloys, otherwise low
Ecology 100% recyclable, high energy input
during extraction
Extraction requires less energy therefore ecologically advantageous
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Aluminum alloy specific properties

Aluminum alloys have various specific properties that combine advantages and disadvantages. Depending on the application, it is advisable to use the right alloy and thus take advantage of the benefits.

 

Aluminum alloys are mainly composed of the following elements:

  • Magnesium (Mg)
  • Silicon (Si)
  • Manganese (Mn)
  • Zinc (Zn)
  • copper (Ku)

The various elements change the properties of aluminum alloys as follows.

 

Element: Property:
Magnesium (Mg) Greatly increases strength and corrosion resistance.
Silicon (Si) Improves flow properties and is therefore used in casting alloys.
Manganese (Mn) Causes good formability and inhibits recrystallization.
Zinc (Zn) Increases strength and hardness, the deteriorates.
Copper (Ku) Increases the strength and toughness, the corrosion corrosion resistance becomes worse.

Aluminum alloy table - overview for machining

 In the following table you will find an overview of the various common aluminum alloys and the aluminum properties, as far as machining is concerned. We have evaluated the topics of aluminum forming, aluminum machining, aluminum welding, aluminum corrosion and aluminum anodizing in a table.

 

 Aluminum EN standard

 old standard

 Aluminum

 Forming

 Aluminum

 Metal cutting

 Aluminum

 Welding

 Aluminum

 Corrosion

 Aluminum

 Anodizing

 EN AW-1050A  AL99,5  very good  not good  very good  very good good
 EN AW-1350  E-AL  very good  not good  very good  very good  good
 EN AW-2007  AlCuMgPb moderate  very good  moderate  moderate  not good
 EN AW-2011  AlCUBiPb  moderate  very good  moderate  moderate  not good
 EN AW-2017  AlCuMg1  moderate  very good  not good  moderate  not good
 EN AW-2024  AlCuMg2  moderate  good  not good  moderate  not good
 EN AW-5005  ALMg1  very good  moderate  very good  very good  good
 EN AW-5056A  AlMg5  moderate  very good  very good  very good  good
 EN AW-5083  AlMg4,5Mn  moderate  very good  very good  very good  good
 EN AW-5754  AlMg3  good  very good  very good  very good  good
 EN AW-6012  AlMgSiPb  good  very good  good  very good  not good
 EN AW-6060  AlMgSi0,5  good  moderate  good  very good  good
 EN AW-6061  Mg1SiCu  good  moderate  good  very good  not good
 EN AW-6082  ALMgSi1  good  very good  moderate  very good  medium
 EN AW-7020  AlZn4,5Mg1  difficult  very good  good  moderate  medium
 EN AW-7022  AlZnMgCu0,5  difficult  very good  moderate  moderate  medium
 EN AW-7075  AlZnMgCu1,5   difficult  very good  good  very good  medium

* All data without guarantee.

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Aluminum alloy table - overview physical properties

In the following table you will find the physical properties of aluminum alloys clearly listed.

  • Aluminum Hardness in (Brinell)
  • Aluminum tensile strength in (N/mm²)
  • Aluminum yield strength in (N/mm²)
  • Aluminum thermal conductivity in(W/cm°C)    Conversion: 1 W/cm°C = 100 W/mk

 

 Aluminum EN standard

 old standard

 Aluminum Hardness

 in ( Brinell )

 Aluminum Tensile strength

 in ( N/mm² )

 Aluminum Yield strength

 in ( N/mm² )

 Aluminum Thermal conductivity

in ( W/cm°C )

 EN AW-1050A  AL99,5  22 - 35  75 - 110  20 - 60  2,1 - 2,2
 EN AW-2007  AlCuMgPb  100 - 140  370 - 470  250 - 325   1,3 - 1,5
 EN AW-2011  AlCUBiPb  110 - 130  370 - 410  270 - 315  1,4 - 1,6
 EN AW-2017  AlCuMg1  95 - 130  385 - 460  245 - 340  1,3 - 1,7
 EN AW-5005  ALMg1  29 - 58  145 - 185  110 - 120  1,6 - 2,2
 EN AW-5083  AlMg4,5Mn  70 - 100  275 - 315  125 - 180  1,1 - 1,4
 EN AW-5754  AlMg3  50 - 80  190 - 250  80 - 140  1,4 - 1,6
 EN AW-6012  AlMgSiPb  80 - 120  275 - 390  200 - 370  1,5 - 1,9
 EN AW-6060  AlMgSi0,5  70 - 80  215 - 260  160 - 230  2,0 - 2,2
 EN AW-6061  Mg1SiCu  58 - 88  180 - 290  110 - 240  1,7 - 2,0
 EN AW-6082  ALMgSi1  95 - 105  300 - 350  240 - 320  1,5 - 1,9
 EN AW-7020  AlZn4,5Mg1  95 - 105  330 - 350  260 - 280  1,3 - 1,6
 EN AW-7021  ALZn5,5Mg1,5  110 - 120  320 - 380  290 - 340  1,25 - 1,55
 EN AW-7022  AlZnMgCu0,5  165 - 170  410 - 520  330 - 460  1,25 - 1,55
 EN AW-7075  AlZnMgCu1,5   130 - 160  480 - 540  390 - 470  1,25 - 1,55

* All data without guarantee.

7075 aluminum (aircraft aluminum)

7075 Alu stands out among the many alloys available. The area of application for 7075 Alu includes highly stressed structures in aerospace and military applications. It is also known as aircraft aluminum. AW-7075 combines properties such as: Strength, stiffness, elasticity and corrosion resistance almost perfectly, while also being very light.

 

From this exceptional material there are a variety of products, including aluminum screws.

 

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