MMET 207 Aluminum

Aluminum Advantages

1/3 weight of steel, good conductivity, high strength to weight ratio, most are weldable, will not rust, high reflectivity, can be die cast, machinable, good formability, non-magnetic, non-toxic, 1/3 stiffness of steel

Density of Aluminum

not very dense (2800 kg/m³), less than Copper, steel, titanium

Wrought Aluminum Numbering System

4 digit number

-1000 series

last two digits indicate purity beyond 99%

ex: 1025 - 99.25%

-other series, number only represent different specific alloys

1000 Aluminum Series

commercially pure

99% pure or higher, used in electrical and chemical fields, good corrosion resistance, high conductivity, workable, iron and silicon are major impurities present

2000 Aluminum Series

copper

heat treatable, does not have food corrosion resistance, often clad with 6000 series, 2024 is the best alloy

3000 Aluminum Series

manganese

4000 Aluminum Series

silicon

5000 Aluminum Series

magnesium

6000 Aluminum Series

magnesium and silicon

7000 Aluminum Series

zinc

8000 Aluminum Series

other

9000 Aluminum Series

unused

Strain Hardening Suffix

H1X - strain hardened only

H2X - strain hardened and partially annealed

H4X - Strain hardened and lacquered or painted

X - degree of coldworking (how much you strained it)

Precipitation Hardening

heat treat, water quench, allow precipitates to form across the aluminum structure (aging)

Anodization

adds an aluminum oxide layer on the aluminum

Clear Coat/Conventional: doesn’t take up as much space, tiny wear resistance and corrosion

Hard coating: more surface covered and takes up space, does not color, used for wear and corrosion resistance