Can aluminum be heat-treated?
Conclusion. While not all aluminum alloys benefit from heat treatment, we can heat-treat several alloys to increase the ease of forming or the strength of the finished product. Unlike steel or iron, aluminum requires rigid heat control to achieve optimal results, so special equipment is often required.
What is heat treatment process?
Heat treatment is the process of heating metal without letting it reach its molten, or melting, stage, and then cooling the metal in a controlled way to select desired mechanical properties. Heat treatment is used to either make metal stronger or more malleable, more resistant to abrasion or more ductile.
What is solution heat treatment?
: heating of an alloy to a temperature at which a particular constituent will enter into solid solution followed by cooling at a rate fast enough to prevent the dissolved constituent from precipitating.
What is heat treated solution?
What kind of heat treatment can I use on aluminum?
Aluminum-copper-silicon alloys with more than 3 to 4 percent Cu are heat treatable, but usually heat treatment is used only with those alloys that also contain magnesium, which enhances their response to heat treatment. The Al-Mg-Si system also is the basis for the heat-treatable 6xxx series of heat-treatable wrought alloys.
Why are copper and silicon alloys heat treated?
In these alloys, the copper contributes to strength, and the silicon improves castability and reduces hot shortness. Aluminum-copper-silicon alloys with more than 3 to 4 percent Cu are heat treatable, but usually heat treatment is used only with those alloys that also contain magnesium, which enhances their response to heat treatment.
What is the thermal conductivity of aluminum alloys?
The thermal conductivity of aluminum alloys, about 50 to 60% that of copper, is advantageous in heat exchangers, evaporators, electri- cally heated appliances and utensils, and automotive cylinder heads and radiators. Aluminum is nonferromagnetic, a property of importance in the electri- cal and electronics industries.
Which is the best type of aluminum for corrosion resistance?
The Al-Mg alloys offer an excellent combination of solid-solution strengthening, corrosion resistance, and the strengthening of wrought alloys by work hardening. Silicon is a ubiquitous impurity in commercial aluminum alloys.