Aluminum Structures

November 10, 2008

George Olive, P.E. Larson Engineering, St. Louis, MO

golive@larsonengr.com

Presentation Outline
History of Aluminum Aluminums attributes Aluminum compared t St l Al i d to Steel Material designations Finishes Aluminum Structural Design

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Starting off
My experience Your experience A k questions anytime Ask ti ti

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History of Aluminum
Third most common element after Oxygen and Silicon Most abundant metal in Earths crust Earth s (8.1%) N Never f found f d free in nature i t The oxide, Alumina (Al2O3) occurs naturally as ruby and sapphire
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History of Aluminum y
Name proposed by Sir Davy in 1807 Finally isolated in 1825 Hall-Heroult process (1886) allowed commercial quantities to be produced Aluminum production requires large amounts of electricity
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Photo - ALCOA

History of Aluminum y
Washington monument cap stone is aluminum (1884) t i l i First used in construction in 1930s Wide construction use started in 1950s y extrusions commonly available
Photo - ALCOA

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Current Uses of Aluminum

Aircraft Automobiles Curtain C t i wall ll Storage tanks Highway signs

Photo - BOEING

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Photo ENCLOS Corp

Largest US Markets for Aluminum

Market Transportation g g Packaging Construction Total 2002 (metric tons x 1000) 2211 1467 1015 4693 % of Total 31.8 21.1 14.6 67.5

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Attributes of Aluminum
Low weight / density (0 1lb/in3) (0.1lb/in Increased strength and ductility at low temperatures Corrosion resistance Strength from 10 to 80 ksi tensile ultimate Can be extruded

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Why Use Aluminum

Can make complex cross sections

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Why Use Aluminum

For light weight structures

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Why Use Aluminum

Low temperature applications

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Aluminum Steel Comparison

Aluminum is corrosion resistant, similar to stainless steel Aluminum is 1/3 of the weight of steel Aluminum Modulus of Elasticity is 1/3 that of steel Aluminum available in non-standard p shapes Aluminum is more costly per pound
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Aluminum Steel Comparison

Welding of Steel does not affect base material Welding of many aluminum alloys reduces base material strength near weld M j it of steel shapes are compact Majority f t l h t Majority of aluminum shapes are not compact
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Extrusions
Made by heating and then pushing a solid billet / log through an opening called a die Dies are round, up to ~ 30 Open, hollow, and combinations shapes are possible Can design a new shape for a specific application

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Sources of Information
Aluminum Association (AA)
www.aluminum.org Founded in 1933 50+ members are the major 1933, US producers AA writes most standards on aluminum; has worldwide influence

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Sources of Information
American Architectural Manufacturers Association
www aamanet org www.aamanet.org Provides information on cladding systems
Windows Doors Curtain wall Cu a a

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Sources of Information
Aluminum Structures 2nd Edition (Kissell, Ferry) Designing Aluminum Structures Seminar ASCE (Kissell) ( )
Usually presented in several cities each year On-line version available from ASCE

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Wrought Aluminum Designations

Pure aluminum is very weak Aluminum is made into many alloys All Alloy=a substance composed of t b t d f two or more metals or of a metal and a nonmetal intimately it d i ti t l united Different aluminum alloys can have very different material properties y g y Alloying elements are usually less then 5%
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Aluminum Alloys
Si Fe Cu Mn Mg Cr Ni Zn and Ti are Si, Fe, Cu, Mn, Mg, Cr, Ni, Zn, used Aluminum is identified by AA number and temper

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Wrought Alloy Designations

Number 1xxx 2xxx 3xxx 4xxx 5xxx 6xxx 7xxx 8xxx
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Main Alloy y 99%+ Al Cu Mn Si Mg Mg Si Zn others

Strength g Fair High g Fair Good Good Good High

Corrosion Excellent Fair Good Good Good Good Fair

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What the Numbers Mean

1st digit denotes main alloying element 3 rd and 4th and sequentially assigned d digit d 2nd di it denotes of variation t f i ti

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1xxx Series
Pure Aluminum Used in electrical connectors Plus Good Pl G d conductor d t Negative Weak strength

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2xxx Series
Copper alloy Aircraft sheathing Plus Good t Pl G d strength th Negative Poor corrosion resistance

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3xxx Series
Manganese alloy Gutters and siding Plus Pl very f formable bl Negative Relatively weak

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4xxx Series
Silicon alloy Welding filler material Plus Flows well Pl Fl ll Negative Low ductility

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5xxx Series
Magnesium alloy Boats and docks Plus Strong Pl St Negative Difficult to extrude

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6xxx Series
Magnesium and silicon (magnesium silicide) alloy Extrusions for building construction Plus Strong and corrosion resistant Negative Large strength loss when welded

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7xxx Series
Zinc alloy (may also include copper) Aircraft framing Plus Very strong Pl V t Negative weak resistance to corrosion

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Increasing Strength
Stain hardening Heat treatment Combination f C bi ti of methods th d Only series 2xxx, 6xxx, and 7xxx are heat treatable.

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Tempers
Temper designation follows series number Examples: 6063-T6, 3003-H14 H i f strain H d is for t i Hardened d T is for heat Treated O is annealed conditioned Tempering increases strength but reduces ductility
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Aluminum Special Finish p

Aluminum forms an oxidation layer when exposed to air Natural layer is relatively soft Aluminum placed in chemical acid bath with current applied forms hard anodized finish nearly as hard as diamond

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Specification for Aluminum Structures (SAS) S

Includes both ASD and LRFD
Combined specification in 2010 version Will mirror steel code format Currently parts IA & IB in Aluminum Design Manual

Adopted by BOCA, UBC, SBC, and IBC 1stt edition i 1967 diti in Now updated every 5 years
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Aluminum Design Manual Layout

II Commentary III Design Guide
Ti f design Tips for d i

IV Materials
Describes alloys and tempers

V Material Properties p
Mechanical and physical

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Aluminum Design Manual Layout

VI Section Properties
For standard shapes (Channels, beams, tees, etc)

VII Design Aids

Design tables for 25 alloys / tempers

VIII Illustrative Examples of Design

31 examples using the SAS

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Aluminum Design Manual Layout

IX Guidelines for Aluminum Sheet Metal Work in Building Construction

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Aluminum Strength
The stress-strain diagram does not have stress strain point where yield is apparent.

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Aluminum Strength
Aluminum uses a 0 2% offset method to 0.2% determine yield strength

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Aluminum Strength g
Aluminum shapes are generally noncompact Need to check for all buckling modes Long, di t ti L distortional, and l l d local. l

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Aluminum Strength
Need to check individual elements of a shape

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Aluminum Strength
ADM (Aluminum Design Manual) conservatively checks elements with ends as pinned, not fixed. pinned fixed Can use software to improve allowable stress / moment moment.

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CUFSM
Finite strip method program available for free at: http://www.ce.jhu.edu/bschafer/ Can be used for both aluminum and cold formed steel

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CUFSM

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CUFSM

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CUFSM

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CUFSM

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Welding effects g
Other than alloying, aluminums strength is a result of strain hardening or artificial aging The heat from welding erases these effects Welding reduces strengths:
For H tempers, down to O (annealed) For T tempers, usually down to T

Some 2xxx and 7xxx alloys arent weldable y Weld affected zones are assumed to extend 1 from the actual weld
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Design Aids

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Design Aids g

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Safety Factors
Safety factor for yield ny = 1 65 yield, 1.65 Safety factor for fracture, nu = 1.95 S f t factor for connections, 1.2nu = 2 34 Safety f t f ti 12 2.34

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Deflection limits
Deflection limits are dependant on the application For curtain wall applications deflection is applications, usually limited to L/175, based on glass limits Roof and siding limits are usually L/60

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The End
Thank you for attending

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