Wrought aluminum alloy is used commonly to manufacture aircraft grade aluminum. The various aerospace parts that may be built from wrought aluminum include rivets, bulkheads, skin, extrusions, and stringers. Shaping of wrought aluminum can be accomplished through drawing, rolling, and forging.
Two Types of Wrought Aluminum Alloys
Wrought aluminum alloy may be either heat or non-heat treateable. Cold working is used on non-heat treatable wrought aluminum alloy to modify its mechanical properties. This is done after the annealing work is finished. Heating can remove these properties which may be reintroduced again by heating, when possible.
Heat treating works on heat treatable wrought aluminum alloy to achieve certain desired mechanical properties. These properties are achieved when the metal is maintained at a certain temperature for a period of time, allowing the alloy to form into a solid state. Then, the alloy is quenched, locking in its new characteristics. The metal is then age hardened at either a nature aging temperature (room temperature) or an artificial aging temperature.
Designating Wrought Aluminum Alloy
There are 4 digit designations plus 3 separate groups when it comes to classifying wrought aluminum alloys. In the first group, the first digit is “1.” In the second group, the first digit is a number “2’ through “8.” In the third group, the first digit is a “9.” This last group is not necessarily in use. So it is practical to simply understand the first two groups for now.
Aluminum Alloy Groupings
The alloy’s type of metal is designated by the first digit. Any modification to the alloy is signified by the second digit.
The final two digits in the first group show the one-hundredth of 1 percent greater than the 99% original alloy percentage. For example, if the last two digits are 40, it indicates 99.40 percent pure aluminum.
An alloy designation of 1340 would indicate an aluminum purity 99.40% with 3 controls placed on the individual impurities.
Alloying elements are designated in the second group of aluminum alloys with digits 2 through 8 indicated those elements. Those elements are 2-copper, 3-manganese, 4-silicone, 5- magnesium, 6-magnesium and silicon, 7-zine, and 8-others.
In this second group, the second digit (1 through 9) reveals the alloy modification. A zero means no modification. The various alloys in the group are indicated by the final 2 digits in the 4 digit label.
Contact an experienced precision metal supplier today to obtain the wrought aluminum alloy you need for your project or application.
