【Aluminium Knowledge】Classification, grades, uses, naming, and processing techniques of commonly used aluminum alloys
1. Classification of aluminum alloys
Series 1: The 1000 series aluminum alloy represents the 1050, 1060, and 1100 series. The 1000 series belongs to the series with the highest aluminum content among all series. The purity can reach over 99.00%. Due to the absence of other technical elements, the production process is relatively simple and the price is relatively cheap, making it the most commonly used series in conventional industries. Currently, the majority of products in circulation on the market are the 1050 and 1060 series. The minimum aluminum content of 1000 series aluminum plates is determined according to the last two Arabic numerals. For example, the last two Arabic numerals of 1050 series are 50. According to the international brand naming principle, the aluminum content must reach 99.5% or more. China's aluminum alloy technical standard (GB/T3880-2006) also clearly stipulates that the aluminum content of 1050 should reach 99.5%. Similarly, the aluminum content of 1060 series aluminum plates must reach above 99.6%.
Second series: The 2000 series aluminum alloy represents 2024, 2A16 (LY16), and 2A02 (LY6). The characteristic of the 2000 series aluminum plate is its high hardness, with the highest content of copper, approximately 3-5%. The 2000 series aluminum rods belong to aviation aluminum materials and are currently not commonly used in conventional industries.
Third series: The 3000 series aluminum alloy mainly represents 3003 and 3A21. The production process of 3000 series aluminum plates in China is relatively excellent. The 3000 series aluminum rod is mainly composed of manganese element. The content is between 1.0 and 1.5, which is a series with good rust prevention function.
Fourth series: The 4000 series aluminum rod represents the 4A01 4000 series aluminum plate, which belongs to the series with higher silicon content. Typically, the silicon content ranges from 4.5 to 6.0%. It belongs to building materials, Machine element, forging materials and welding materials; Low melting point, good corrosion resistance, product description: It has characteristics of heat resistance and wear resistance
Five series: The 5000 series aluminum alloy represents the 5052, 5005, 5083, and 5A05 series. The 5000 series aluminum rod belongs to the commonly used alloy aluminum plate series, with magnesium as the main element and a magnesium content between 3-5%. Also known as aluminum magnesium alloy. The main characteristics are low density, high tensile strength, high elongation, and good fatigue strength, but cannot be strengthened by heat treatment. The weight of aluminum magnesium alloy is lower than that of other series under the same area, and it is also widely used in conventional industry. The 5000 series aluminum plate is one of the more mature aluminum plate series in China.
Six series: The 6000 series aluminum alloy represents 6061, which mainly contains magnesium and silicon elements. Therefore, it combines the advantages of the 4000 series and 5000 series. 6061 is a cold-treated aluminum forging product suitable for applications with high requirements for corrosion resistance and oxidation resistance. Good usability, easy coating, and good processability.
Seven series: The 7000 series aluminum alloy represents 7075, which mainly contains zinc. It also belongs to the aviation series and is an aluminum magnesium zinc copper alloy that can be heat treated. It is a superhard aluminum alloy with good wear resistance and good weldability, but poor corrosion resistance. At present, China relies mainly on imports, and its production processes still need to be improved.
Eight series: The commonly used 8000 series aluminum alloy is 8011, which belongs to other series and is mostly used for aluminum foil. It is not commonly used in the production of aluminum rods.
Nine series: The 9000 series aluminum alloy is a backup alloy.
2. Material categories of aluminum alloys
1) Aluminum alloy pure aluminum products
Pure aluminum is divided into smelting products and pressure processed products. The former is represented by Chemical composition Al, and the latter is represented by Pinyin LG (aluminum, industrial).
2) Pressure processed aluminum alloy
Aluminum alloy pressure processing products are divided into seven categories: rust prevention (LF), hard (LY), forging (LD), superhard (LC), coating (LB), special (LT), and brazing (LQ). The commonly used aluminum alloy materials have three states: annealing (M soaking), hardening (Y), and hot rolling (R).
3) Aluminum material
Aluminum and aluminum alloys are collectively referred to as materials processed into certain shapes, including plates, strips, foils, pipes, bars, wires, profiles, etc.
4) Cast aluminum alloy
Cast aluminum alloys (ZL) are classified into four categories based on the main elements other than aluminum, silicon, copper, magnesium, and zinc, with code codes of 100, 200, 300, and 400, respectively.
5) High strength aluminum alloy
High strength aluminum alloys refer to aluminum alloys with tensile strength greater than 480 MPa, mainly including hard aluminum alloys, superhard aluminum alloys, and casting alloys in pressure processing aluminum alloys
3. Typical uses of various aluminum alloys
1050 extruded coils, various hoses, and fireworks powder for food, chemical, and brewing industries
1060 requires high corrosion resistance and formability, but low strength requirements, and chemical equipment is its typical use
1100 is used for processing parts that require good formability and high corrosion resistance but do not require high strength, such as chemical products, food industry devices and storage containers, sheet metal processing parts, deep drawing or spinning concave vessels, welded components, heat exchangers, printed boards, nameplates, reflective devices
1145 packaging and insulation aluminum foil, heat exchanger
1199 Electrolytic capacitor foil, optical reflective deposition film
1350 wire, conductive stranded wire, busbar, transformer strip
2011 screws and machined products requiring good cutting performance
2014 is suitable for applications that require high strength and hardness (including high temperatures). Aircraft heavy, forged, thick plates, and extruded materials, wheels and structural components, multi-stage rocket first stage fuel tanks and spacecraft parts, truck frame and suspension system parts
2017 is the first 2XXX series alloy to obtain industrial application. At present, its application scope is narrow, mainly including rivets, general Machine element, structures and transport tool structures, propellers and accessories
2024 aircraft structures, rivets, missile components, truck hubs, propeller components, and various other structural components
2036 Automotive Body Sheet Metal Parts
2048 Aerospace and Weapon Structural Components
2124 Aerospace Spacecraft Structural Components
2218 aircraft and diesel engine pistons, aircraft engine cylinder heads, jet engine impellers, and compressor rings
2219 space rocket welding oxidizer tank, supersonic aircraft skin and structural parts, operating temperature -270~300 ℃. Good weldability, high Fracture toughness, high resistance to stress corrosion cracking in T8 state
Welding rods and filler metals for 2319 welding and 2219 alloy
2618 Die forgings and free forgings. Pistons and aviation engine parts
Structural rivets with a working temperature of less than or equal to 100 ℃ for 2A01
Axial compressor blade of 2A02 Turbojet with operating temperature of 200~300 ℃
2A06 Aircraft Structure with Working Temperature of 150-250 ℃ and Aircraft Structure Rivets with Working Temperature of 125-250 ℃
2A10 has higher strength than 2A01 alloy and is used for manufacturing aircraft structural rivets with a working temperature of less than or equal to 100 ℃
The medium strength structural components, propeller blades, transportation vehicles, and building structural components of the 2A11 aircraft. Medium strength bolts and rivets for aircraft
2A12 aircraft skins, partitions, wing ribs, wing beams, rivets, etc., structural components for construction and transportation vehicles
2A14 Complex Shape Free Forgings and Die Forgings
2A16 Aerospace Aircraft Parts Working at 250-300 ℃, Welded Containers and Airtight Cabins Working at Room Temperature and High Temperature
2A17 Aircraft parts with a working temperature of 225~250 ℃
2A50 Medium strength parts with complex shapes
2A60 aircraft engine compressor wheels, guide vanes, fans, impellers, etc
2A70 aircraft skin, aircraft engine pistons, guide vanes, wheel discs, etc
2A80 aircraft engine compressor blades, impellers, pistons, expansion rings, and other parts with high operating temperatures
2A90 aircraft engine piston
3003 is used for processing parts and components that require good formability, high corrosion resistance, and weldability, or for jobs that require both these properties and higher strength than 1XXX series alloys, such as kitchen utensils, food and chemical product processing and storage devices, tanks and tanks for transporting liquid products, and various pressure vessels and pipelines processed with thin plates
3004 all aluminum Drink can body requires parts with higher strength than 3003 alloy, chemical product production and storage devices, sheet processing parts, building processing parts, building tools, and various lamp parts
Room 3105 partition, partition board, activity room board, eaves gutter and downspout, sheet metal forming parts, bottle caps, bottle stoppers, etc
3A21 aircraft fuel tanks, fuel ducts, rivet wires, etc; Industrial equipment such as building materials and food
5005 and 3003 alloys are similar in strength and good corrosion resistance. Used as a conductor, cooker, dashboard, shell, and architectural decoration. The anodic oxide film is brighter than the oxide film on alloy 3003 and is consistent with the color tone of alloy 6063
The 5050 thin plate can be used as the inner lining plate for refrigerators and refrigerators, as well as for automotive air pipes, oil pipes, and agricultural irrigation pipes; It can also process thick plates, pipes, bars, irregular materials, and wires, etc
5052 alloy has good formability, corrosion resistance, candlestick resistance, fatigue strength, and moderate static strength. It is used in the manufacturing of aircraft fuel tanks, oil pipes, as well as sheet metal parts for transportation vehicles and ships, as well as instruments, street lamp brackets and rivets, hardware products, etc
5056 magnesium alloy and cable sheath rivets, zippers, nails, etc; Aluminum coated wire is widely used for processing agricultural insect catcher covers and other occasions that require high corrosion resistance
5083 is used in situations where high corrosion resistance, good weldability, and moderate strength are required, such as welding components for ship, automotive, and aircraft panels; Pressure vessels, refrigeration devices, television towers, drilling equipment, transportation equipment, missile components, armor, etc. that require strict fire prevention
5086 is used in situations where high corrosion resistance, good weldability, and moderate strength are required, such as ships, cars, aircraft, low-temperature equipment, television towers, drilling equipment, transportation equipment, missile components, and decks
5154 welded structures, storage tanks, pressure vessels, ship structures and offshore facilities, transport tanks
5182 sheet is used for processing Drink can covers, auto body panels, control panels, stiffeners, brackets and other parts
5252 is used to manufacture decorative components with high strength, such as decorative components for automobiles. Having a bright and transparent oxide film after anodizing
5254 Hydrogen peroxide and other chemical product containers
5356 Aluminum magnesium alloy welding rods and wires with a magnesium content greater than 3% for welding
5454 welded structures, pressure vessels, marine facilities pipelines
5456 armor plates, high-strength welded structures, storage tanks, pressure vessels, ship materials
5457 Decorative parts for automobiles and other equipment treated with polishing and anodizing
5652 Storage containers for hydrogen peroxide and other chemical products
5657 Decorative parts for automobiles and other equipment that have been polished and anodized, but in any case, it must be ensured that the material has a fine grain structure
5A02 aircraft fuel tank and conduit, welding wire, rivets, ship structural components
5A03 medium strength welding structure, cold stamped parts, welding containers, welding wires, can be used to replace 5A02 alloy
5A05 welded structural components, aircraft skin skeleton
5A06 welded structure, cold forged parts, welded tension container load-bearing parts, aircraft skin bone components
5A12 welded structural components, bulletproof deck
6005 extruded profiles and pipes are used for structural parts with strength higher than 6063 alloy, such as ladders, Television antenna, etc
6009 car body panel
6010 Sheet: Automotive Body
6061 Various industrial structures with certain strength, weldability and high corrosion resistance are required, such as pipes, bars, shapes and plates for manufacturing trucks, Tower, ships, trams, clamps, Machine element, precision machining, etc
6063 building profiles, irrigation pipes, and extruded materials for vehicles, racks, furniture, fences, etc
6066 Forgings and Welded Structural Extrusion Materials
6070 heavy-duty welded structures and extruded materials and pipes for the automotive industry
6101 High strength bars, electrical conductors, and heat dissipation equipment for buses
6151 is used for forging crankshaft parts, machine parts, and production of rolled rings, which requires both good malleability, high strength, and good corrosion resistance
6201 High strength conductive rod and wire
6205 thick plates, pedals, and high impact resistant extruded parts
6262 requires threaded high stress parts with better corrosion resistance than 2011 and 2017 alloys
Extruded structural components of 6351 vehicles, transmission pipelines for water, oil, etc
6463 Architectural and various appliance profiles, as well as automotive decorative parts with bright surfaces after anodizing treatment
6A02 aircraft engine parts, complex shaped forgings and die forgings
7005 extrusion material, which is used to manufacture welded structures with high strength and high Fracture toughness, such as trusses, rods and containers of transportation vehicles; Large heat exchangers and components that cannot undergo solid fusion treatment after welding; It can also be used to manufacture sports equipment such as Tennis racquet and softball bat
7039 refrigeration containers, low-temperature equipment and storage tanks, fire pressure equipment, military equipment, armor plates, missile devices
7049 is used for forging parts with the same static strength as 7079-T6 alloy and high resistance to stress corrosion cracking, such as aircraft and missile parts - landing gear hydraulic cylinders and extrusion parts. The fatigue performance of the parts is roughly equivalent to that of 7075-T6 alloy, while the toughness is slightly higher
7050 aircraft structural components are made of medium and thick plates, extruded parts, free forgings, and die forgings. The requirements of alloy for manufacturing such parts are: high resistance to spalling corrosion, stress corrosion cracking, Fracture toughness and fatigue
7072 aluminum foil and ultra-thin strip for air conditioners; Cladding layers for 2219, 3003, 3004, 5050, 5052, 5154, 6061, 7075, 7475, 7178 alloy plates and pipes
7075 is used in the manufacturing of aircraft structures and futures. It requires high strength and strong corrosion resistance for high stress structural components and mold manufacturing
7175 is a high-strength structural material used for forging aircraft. T736 material has good comprehensive properties, namely, high strength, anti stripping corrosion and anti stress corrosion cracking performance, Fracture toughness and fatigue strength
7178 Components with high compressive yield strength required for manufacturing aerospace vehicles
The 7475 fuselage is made of aluminum coated and non aluminum coated plates, wing frames, purlins, etc. Other parts with high strength and high Fracture toughness
7A04 aircraft skin, screws, and load-bearing components such as beam stringers, diaphragms, wing ribs, landing gear, etc
4. Processing technology of aluminum alloy
Silicon has a corrosive effect on hard alloys. Although aluminum alloys with over 12% Si are generally referred to as high silicon aluminum alloys and diamond cutting tools are recommended, this is not absolute, as the increasing silicon content gradually increases the destructive power of the cutting tools. Therefore, some manufacturers recommend using diamond cutting tools when the silicon content exceeds 8%.
Aluminum alloys with a silicon content between 8% and 12% are a transitional zone, and can use either ordinary hard alloys or diamond cutting tools. However, when using hard alloys, tools that have undergone PVD (physical coating) method, do not contain aluminum elements, and have a smaller film thickness should be used. Because the PVD method and small film thickness make it possible for the tool to maintain a sharp cutting edge (otherwise, to avoid abnormal growth of the film layer at the edge, sufficient passivation of the edge is required, and the cutting aluminum alloy will not be sharp enough), and the film material containing aluminum may cause the blade film layer to have an affinity with the workpiece material, damaging the bonding between the film layer and the tool substrate. Because the current superhard coatings are mostly compounds of aluminum, nitrogen, and titanium, it is possible that a small amount of peeling off of the hard alloy substrate with the film layer may cause edge breakage.
It is recommended to use one of the following three types of tools:
1. Uncoated ultrafine particle hard alloy cutting tools
2. Hard alloy cutting tools with non aluminum coating (PVD) method, such as TiN, TiC plating, etc
3. Use diamond cutting tools
The chip holding space of the cutting tool should be large, and it is generally recommended to use 2 teeth. The front and back angles should be large (such as 12 ° -14 °, including the back angle of the end teeth).
If it is only a general milling surface, an indexable surface milling cutter with a 45 ° main deviation angle and a blade specifically designed for processing aluminum alloy can be used, which should achieve better results.
In 1808, aluminum oxide was electrolyzed in the laboratory and became aluminum. In 1884, it was used as a building material on the spire of the Washington Monument in the United States until now; Aluminum alloy materials synthesized by adding various metal elements to aluminum have been widely used in various aspects of the construction industry. The thickness of commonly used aluminum alloy sheets: For advanced metal roof (and curtain wall) systems, it is generally 0.8-1.2mm (while for traditional systems, it is generally ≥ 2.5mm)
5. Surface treatment of aluminum alloy
Aluminum alloy sheets can be divided into two categories based on surface treatment methods: non painted products and painted products.
1) Non painted products (1) can be divided into hammer patterned aluminum plates (with irregular patterns), embossed plates (with regular patterns), and pre passivated and anodized aluminum surface treatment plates.
(2) This type of product does not undergo painting treatment on the surface of the board, and has low requirements for surface appearance and low prices.
Painting products
(1) Classification:
According to the coating process, it can be divided into: spray coated plate products and pre roll coated plates;
According to the type of paint, it can be divided into: polyester, polyurethane, polyamide, modified silicon, epoxy resin, fluorocarbon, etc.
(2) Among various coatings, the main performance difference is the resistance to solar ultraviolet radiation. Among them, the most commonly used coating on the front is fluorocarbon paint (PVDF), which has a strong resistance to ultraviolet radiation; The back can be coated with polyester or epoxy resin as a protective paint. In addition, a layer of removable protective film can also be applied on the front.
Main performance requirements
Parameter Name Indicator Requirements
Density (kg/m) 2705
Elastic modulus (kN/cm) 6900
Thermal conductivity coefficient [W/(m · ℃)] 214
Longitudinal thermal expansion coefficient [mm/(m · ℃)] 24 × 10-3
Melting point (℃) 650
Note: Applicable to 3004 and 3015 aluminum manganese magnesium alloys
Fluorocarbon aluminum plate includes fluorocarbon spray coated plate and fluorocarbon pre roller coated aluminum plate
1) Fluorocarbon spraying board
(1) Fluorocarbon spray coated panels are divided into two coating systems, three coating systems, and four coating systems, and it is generally recommended to use a multi-layer coating system.
Two coating system: from 5 to 10 μ M fluorocarbon primer and 20-30 μ M is composed of fluorocarbon topcoat, and the total thickness of the film layer should generally not be less than 35 μ M. Can only be used in regular environments.
Three coating system: from 5 to 10 μ M fluorocarbon primer, 20-30 μ M fluorocarbon paint and 10-20 μ M is composed of fluorocarbon varnish, and the total thickness of the film layer should generally not be less than 45 μ M. Suitable for areas with severe air pollution, industrial areas, and harsh coastal environments.
Four coating systems: There are two types of four coating systems. One method is to add a layer of 20 between the primer and topcoat when using large particle aluminum powder pigments μ M fluorocarbon intermediate paint; Another method is to add a dense coating of polyamide and polyurethane blended between the primer and topcoat to improve its corrosion resistance and prolong the service life of fluorocarbon aluminum plates. Because general fluorocarbon paint has a sponge structure with pores, it cannot prevent the free penetration of positive and negative ions in the air to the metal substrate. Therefore, this coating system is more suitable for areas with severe air pollution, industrial areas, and harsh coastal environments.
(2) Curing of fluorocarbon baking paint: It should be applied several times to fully cure each layer of baking paint, forming good adhesion, corrosion resistance, and color fading resistance, avoiding excessive application and insufficient baking.
(3) When selecting fluorocarbon baking paint aluminum panels, attention should be paid to the brand and main technical indicators of fluorocarbon paint, and the fluororesin content should be ≥ 70%.
2) Fluorocarbon pre roller coated aluminum plate
(1) The design concept of pre roll coated aluminum plate is to combine as many material and process advantages as possible, minimizing the quality factors influenced by human factors, and its quality is more guaranteed than fluorocarbon sprayed (baked) aluminum plate.
(2) The highest fluorine resin content can reach 80%.
(3) The coating thickness is generally 25 μ M.
5. Naming convention for aluminum alloys
Usually, the international designation of aluminum alloys consists of four digits followed by a status code (one letter and several numbers). For example:
6 0 6 1 – T 6 5 1
The specific meaning is as follows: The first digit is the code of the main alloy element, with the following meanings:
1: Pure aluminum, with an aluminum content of not less than 99.00%
2: Cu (copper)
3: Mn (Manganese)
4: Si
5: Mg
6: MgSi
7: Zn (Zinc)
8: Other Elements
9: The second digit of the backup group represents the control of the limit content of alloy elements or impurities:
0: indicates that there is no special control over the impurity limit content
1-9: indicates special control over the limit content of one or more individual impurities or alloy elements. The third and fourth digits: pure aluminum (the first digit of the grade is 1): two digits after the Decimal separator in the lowest aluminum content, for example, 1050 aluminum content is 99.50%
Other alloys (the first digit of the grade is 2-9): The two digits have no special meaning and are only used to identify different alloys in the same group. The second digit represents the modification situation. If the second digit is 0, it represents the original alloy; If it is 1-9, it represents the fifth letter of the modified alloy: Basic state code (GB/T16475-1996):
F: Free processing state, suitable for processing products without mechanical performance requirements during the forming process
O: Annealed state, 1 Arabic numerals other than 0 can be appended
H: The work hardening state is applicable to the products whose strength is improved by work hardening (such products can reduce some strength by heat treatment), and the common suffix has more than two Arabic numerals
W: Solution heat treated state (an unstable state), only applicable to alloys that naturally age at room temperature after solution heat treatment, such as W1/2 hours
T: The stable state generated after heat treatment (different from F, O and H states) is applicable to the products in stable state generated after heat treatment (such products can also be work hardened). The letter T is always marked with more than one Arabic numerals.
