Classification and characteristics of aluminum alloy

Aluminum alloys can be divided into 1xxxx to 9xxx according to the different proportions of chemical elements. This article only discusses 1xxx to 7xxx.

• 1XXX:

Features: Contains more than 99.00% aluminum, has good electrical conductivity, good corrosion resistance, good welding performance, low strength, and cannot be strengthened by heat treatment.

Application range: High-purity aluminum (aluminum content above 99.9%) is mainly used in scientific experiments, chemical industry and special purposes.

• 2XXX:

Features:: Aluminum alloy with copper as the main alloying element. Manganese, magnesium, lead and bismuth are also added for machinability.

For example: 2011 alloy, pay attention to safety protection during the smelting process (hazardous gas will be produced). 2014 alloy used in aerospace industry, high strength. The 2017 alloy is a little weaker than the 2014 alloy, but is easier to machine. 2014 can be strengthened by heat treatment.

Disadvantages: Intergranular corrosion tends to be serious.

Scope of application: aviation industry (2014 alloy), screws (2011 alloy) and industries with high service temperature (2017 alloy), etc.

• 3XXX:

Features: The aluminum alloy with manganese as the main alloying element cannot be strengthened by heat treatment, has good corrosion resistance and good welding performance. Good plasticity. (close to super aluminum alloy).

Disadvantages: low strength, but can be strengthened by cold work hardening. Coarse grains are easily produced during annealing.

Application range: Oil guide seamless pipes (3003 alloy) and cans (3004 alloy) used on aircraft,etc.

• 4XXX:

Mainly silicon, not commonly used. Some 4-series alloys can be strengthened by heat treatment, but some 4-series alloys cannot be heat-treated.

• 5XXX:

Features: Mainly magnesium. Good resistance, good welding performance, good fatigue strength, can not be strengthened by heat treatment, only cold working can improve the strength.

Applications: lawn mower handles, aircraft fuel tank conduits, body armor, etc.

• 6XXX:

Features: Mainly magnesium and silicon. Mg2Si is the main strengthening phase and is currently the most widely used alloy.

6063 and 6061 are used the most, others 6082, 6160, 6125, 6262, 6060, 6005, and 6463.

6063, 6060, and 6463 have relatively low strength in the 6 series.

6262, 6005, 6082, and 6061 have relatively high strength in the 6 series.

Features: medium strength, good corrosion resistance, good welding performance, good process performance (easy to extrude and form), good oxidation coloring performance.

Scope of application: energy transfer tools (such as: car luggage rack, car control arm, door, window, body, heat sink, box shell, etc.) The aluminum alloy material used for my truss and stage is 6082-T6 6063-T6 This two kinds. It has the advantages of light weight, corrosion resistance and strong pressure resistance.

• 7XXX:

Features: mainly zinc, but sometimes a small amount of magnesium and copper are added. Among them, superhard aluminum alloys contain zinc, lead, magnesium and copper alloys close to the hardness of steel. The extrusion speed is slower than that of the 6-series alloy, and the welding performance is good. 7005 and 7075 are the highest grades in the 7 series, which can be strengthened by heat treatment.

Application range: aviation (aircraft load-bearing components, landing gear), rockets, propellers, aviation spacecraft, etc.