Basics:
ALUMINUM ALLOYS
Commercial purity of aluminum is 99.5 to 99.79%, but pure aluminum is too soft to be of structural value. The primary reason for alloying aluminum is to
increase strength without significantly increasing weight. Other reasons are to improve machinability, weldability, surface appearance and corrosion resistance.
Each alloy type has specific characteristics
to match application needs as described in the table below. Penn extrudes the 3xxx series and 6xxx series alloys.
Wrought Alloy
Designation
|
Major Alloying Elements
and
Typical Alloy Characteristics
|
Typical
Alloy
Applications
|
|
3xxx Series
|
Manganese
...
Low to medium strength; good corrosion resistance; poor
machinability; good workability; strain-hardened.
|
Drawn
tubing in the form of heat exchangers, chemical equipment,
furniture, condensers, builder's hardware, cooking
utensils, medical applications.
|
|
6xxx Series
|
Magnesium &
Silicon ...
Most popular extrusion alloy class. Good extrudability,
strength, corrosion resistance, machinability, weldability; formability.
Heat-treatable.
|
General purpose
extruded shapes such as architectural applications, heavy-duty
structures, pipe and tubing.
|
Product performance is determined in part by the alloy composition and in part by the method of production.
The production method, in turn, strongly influences the final temper of the alloy, which is obtained through various types of mechanical and thermal treatments.
The choice of alloy and temper significantly influences structural and certain physical properties of aluminum.
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