Aluminium Alloys

Engineering Materials CE1304

Madhumita, Nikunj, Prateek

ABSTRACT

A detailed report on the overview of aluminium alloys in the industry,

including their properties and utilization in engineering materials with a
special focus of the aluminium alloy Duralumin.
Table of Contents
Aluminium....................................................................................................3
A brief overview on Aluminium Alloys...............................................4
Effects of Alloying elements on aluminium......................................6
Classification of Aluminium alloys.......................................................7
Properties of Aluminium alloys.........................................................13
Special focus of Aluminium alloy Duralumin................................15
Bibliography..............................................................................................19

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Aluminium
Aluminium is the 3rd most abundant element on Earth (after Oxygen
and silicon). It is present on Earth 8% by weight. Aluminium and its
alloys are known for their low density. The aluminium molecule has a
Front centered crystal structure. It is also known to have high
electrical and thermal conductivity; it is non-magnetic and non-
sparking, also insoluble in alcohol and water. It has excellent
resistance to corrosion and is very easy to cast because of its low
melting point.

But the main limitation of pure aluminium is that its low melting
point (660˚C) restricts the maximum temperature at which it can be
used. It is also very soft, which restricts its application in automobile
and aircrafts (where light weight and stronger materials are needed).
This is the reason why aluminium is converted into alloys, for
increased utilization.

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A brief overview on Aluminium Alloys

An alloy is a mixture of metals. Aluminium alloys are alloys where the

major material is Aluminium. Other elements like copper,
magnesium, manganese, silicon, tin and zinc are added to aluminium
to enhance its beneficial properties. These other metals can be added
to 15% of the total weight. They give increased strength and
durability.

Figure 1: Formation of aluminium alloys

There are two main categories of aluminium alloys: casting alloys

and wrought alloys. Most aluminium used to make alloys is majorly
used for wrought products like rolled plate, foils and extrusions Cast
aluminium alloys are used to make cost effective products.

Aluminium alloys have a major use in engineering structures and

components where lightweight or corrosion resistance is a desired
quality. Aluminium alloys have a very important role in aerospace
engineering due to the previously mentioned qualities.

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Aluminium alloy surfaces develop a white, protective layer of
aluminium oxide when left unprotected by anodizing or painting.
When in wet conditions, galvanic corrosion can happen when an
aluminium alloy is in electrical contact with other metals. When
aluminium alloys are improperly heat treated, internal element
separation happens, this causes the metal to corrode from inside out.

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Effects of Alloying elements on aluminium

1. Copper: It enhances the already ductile and malleable nature of

the aluminium. It helps prevent stress cracks from forming and
it helps in resisting shock. The strength and hardness increases
with age
2. Manganese: It provides a surface that is highly resistant to
wear and corrosion and it increases strength
3. Silicon: It makes the aluminium alloy harder but not brittle. It
also reduces the melting point of the alloy, making it easier to
cast
4. Magnesium: It increases tensile strength, corrosion resistance,
harness and weldability
5. Zinc: It makes the material more stiff and brittle, allowing it to
be more easily treated with heat to form high strength alloys.

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Classification of Aluminium alloys

Aluminium alloy compositions are registered with ‘The Aluminium

association’. They are assigned a four-digit number, in which the first
digit identifies a general class characterized by its main alloying
elements.

For example:

1. Commercially pure alloys of aluminium:

1XXX series are alloys having aluminium of 99% or higher purity.
They have very good corrosion resistance, workability and high
thermal and electrical conductivity. They are used for transmission
or power lines.

1100: Food packaging trays

1350: Electrical applications

2. Heat treatable alloys: They are strengthened by solution heat-

treating, where the solid, alloyed metal is heated to a specific point.
The alloy elements (solute) are homogenously distributed and they
form a solid solution. The metal is then quenched which helps in
freezing the solute atoms in place. Then they combine at room
temperature.

2XXX series are alloys where aluminium and copper are mixed to
give really strong and tough alloys. They also have very low levels of
atmospheric corrosion resistance.

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2024: Aircraft alloy
6XXX series: Silicon, magnesium and aluminium are mixed to give
alloys with very high corrosion resistance. They are versatile, heat
treatable, formidable, and weldable and have good strength.
Extrusion products are the first choice for architectural and
structural applications. They are also used for automobile
production.

7XXX series: Zinc and aluminium are mixed together along with small
amounts of magnesium, copper or chromium to increase strength.
They are also heat treatable. They are used in commercial airlines.

3. Non heat treatable alloys: They are strengthened through cold

working. Cold working happens when, during rolling or forging
methods, which build up vacancies in the structures. By stopping
atom movement relative to each other, the alloy increases in
strength.

3XXX series: Aluminium and magnesium is added in a small amount

to make a mixture. It has moderate strength and good workability.

3004- aluminium beverage cans

3003- heat exchangers

4XXX series: Aluminium and magnesium mixed together in moderate

amount. Magnesium helps in manufacturing. It has moderate to high
strength with good weldability and resistance to corrosion in the

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marine environment. Aluminium-magnesium alloys are widely used
in building and construction, storage tanks, pressure vessels and
marine application.

5083: Bradley fighting vehicle

5005: Architectural applications

Some of the common named aluminium alloys are as following:

- Alferium: an alloy of aluminium and copper that is used for aircraft

manufacture.

- Alcad: Aluminium sheet formed from high purity aluminium surface

layers bonded to high strength aluminium core material

- Birmabright: An alloy of aluminium and magnesium, produced by

Birmetals company

- Duralumin: An alloy of copper and aluminium

- Hindalium: An alloy aluminium, magnesium, manganese and silicon,

produced by Hindustan Aluminium Corporation Ltd

- Pandalloy: Has high strength and superior high temperature

performance, produced by Pratt & Whitney

- Magnalium

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- Magnox: An alloy of magnesium and aluminium

- Silumen: An alloy of Aluminium and Silicon

- Titanal: An alloy of aluminium, zinc, magnesium, copper and

zirconium, produced by Austria Metall AG. It is commonly used in
high performance sports products.

Figure 2: Alloys of Al and its composition

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Figure 3: Common aluminium alloys

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Figure 4: Classification of Aluminium alloys

Properties of Aluminium alloys

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Aluminium alloys have a very low elastic modulus (70GPa). So for a
given load, aluminium alloys experience major deformation in the
elastic regime compared to a steel equipment of the same size and
shape. But on the other hand, aluminium alloys have higher tensile
strength than most other alloys. Extrusions are particularly
important in this regard. Generally speaking, stiffer and lighter
designs can be achieved using aluminium alloys. With aluminium
alloys, weight saving is a major benefit. They also allow for rigid
structures. This is useful in the manufacturing of bicycle frames that
allows them to yield the desired stiffness and strength.

One of the structural limitations of aluminium alloys is that they are

susceptible to warping in high temperatures. Therefore when
aluminium alloys are used in automotive engines, cooling systems
are a requirement. They also have lower fatigue strength compared
to normal strength. Steel usually has a fatigue limit which means that
the metal doesn’t weaken after a certain point no matter how much
you increase the stress. But aluminium does not have this property.

Aluminium, when heated will melt without glowing red. Forming

operations where a blowtorch is used can reverse or remove heat
treating. Therefore, it is usually not performed on aluminium alloys;
we don’t get any visual signs to show how the material is internally
damaged. Strength of the material is lost by the heat of the torch.
Aluminium is subject to internal stresses and strains. If the
aluminium alloy is welded in an improper manner, the structure will
gradually twist out of the welding process. Thus, when aluminium
alloys are used in the aerospace industry, they avoid using heat at all,

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instead they join the different parts with techniques like fasteners
and adhesives.

Stresses in overheated aluminium can be relieved using the

annealing process, by gradually cooling it. The parts still may be
distorted and this causes the misalignment of the structure. But if the
misalignment is not too harsh, the cool parts can still be bent into
alignment.

Because of the intolerance of aluminium alloys to high temperatures,

it is not used in fields like rocketry even for making combustion
changers where the gases can reach a temperature of 3500 K.

Special focus of Aluminium alloy Duralumin

Duralumin is the trade name for

aluminium-copper alloys. They are a

Figure 5: Duralumin
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part of the 2000 series as designated by the International Alloy
Designation System (IADS).

It has a yield strength of 450 Mpa. In Duralumin the main

components and their compositions are as follows:
95% Aluminium
3.5-4.5% Copper
0.7% Magnesium
0.7% Manganese
0.7% Iron + Silicon

The German metallurgist Alfred Wilm developed duralumin in 1903.

He discovered that when an aluminium alloy has 4% copper, after
quenching, it slowly hardens when left at room temperatures. It was
initially used in aircraft construction only.

Duralumin alloys are soft, ductile and workable in the normal state.
They can be rolled, forged, extruded or drawn into a variety of shapes
and products. It is malleable and ductile (elongation 8-15%). It bears
a load of 30000 lb per square inch without permanent distortion and
breaks under a load of 55000-62000 lb per square inch. It is a very
good conductor of heat and electricity. It doesn’t have an odor and it
reacts with oxygen in the atmosphere and forms aluminium oxide.

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They have a very light weight (sp.gr.=2.85)and high strength per unit
weight (specific tenacity=9.3)compared with steel, which makes
them valuable in aircraft construction. Aluminium usually loses
corrosion resistance when alloyed, therefore, a special laminated
sheet form called alclad is used in aircraft construction. It has thin
layers of pure aluminium covering the strong duralumin core.

Aluminium alloys are used in places where hard alloys are needed
like in vehicle armor that is used in the defense industry. It is also
used in forgings, in aircraft engine pistons, impellers of jet engine and
compressor rings, it is also used for making die and hand forgings.

There are various uses for Duralumin in the 2XXX series. It is a

wrought alloy:

1. 2011: It is used to make wire rod and bar for screw machine
products. It has good machinability and strength
2. 2014: It is used in heavy duty forgings, plate and extrusions for
aircraft fittings, wheels and major structural components,
space booster tankage and structure, truck frame and
suspension components. They need high strength and
hardness, including service at high temperatures
3. 2017 (also known as Avional): It has around 1.5% Silicon. It
has good machinability and is resistant to corrosion in air. It is
called the AU4G in France. It is used for aircraft applications
between France and Italy

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 4. 2024: It is used in aircraft structures, rivets, hardware, truck
wheels, screw machine products and other structural
applications
5. 2036: It is used as sheets for auto body panels
6. 2048: It is used as sheets and plates in structural components
for aerospace application and military equipment

There is a pre determined proper method that is used for the

conversion of Duralumin into ingots. It has to undergo a high
pressure before being converted into ingots, like rolling, pressing etc.
It is then converted to plates, sections, sheets, tubes and wires. It is
quenched in water at 500˚C for 4 days. This is natural aging. The heat
treatment leads to the hardening of Duralumin. This makes it legible
to be used for surface transportation, aviation and mechanical
engineering.

Figure 6: Treatment of Duralumin

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Figure 7: Aging benefits

Bibliography

1. “Chemical Composition and Properties of Aluminum

Alloys.” United Aluminum, www.unitedaluminum.com/chemical-
composition-and-properties-of-aluminum-alloys/.

2. “Aluminum Alloys 101.” Aluminum Rod & Bar | The Aluminum

Association, 10 Sept. 2018,
www.aluminum.org/resources/industry-standards/aluminum-
alloys-101.

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3. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, and Helmenstine. “Aluminum or
Aluminium Alloys - List.” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo,
www.thoughtco.com/aluminum-or-aluminium-alloys-603707.

4. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia.

“Duralumin.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica,
Inc., 2 Apr. 2018, www.britannica.com/technology/duralumin.

5. “Duralumin.” Economic and Social Development of Ancient

Greece - Greek, Century, World, Government, Athens, Time and
King, http://gluedideas.com/Encyclopedia-Britannica-Volume-7-
Part-2-Damascus-Education-Animals/Duralumin.html.

6. “Aluminum Properties.” EAI,
www.experimentalaircraft.info/articles/aircraft-aluminum.php.

7. Weebly, Weebly , 2015,

http://teacherengineer.weebly.com/uploads/2/0/2/8/20282305/aero
_materials.pdf.

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