Wrought heat treatable 7xxx alloys are more responsive to precipitation hardening than the 2xxx series alloys and can achieve higher strength levels, approaching tensile strengths of 690 MPa (100 ksi). This article provides an overview of key metallurgy, properties, and applications of the 7xxx aluminum alloy. It also illustrates the natural aging characteristics of 7050 aluminum sheet alloys at room temperature and relationships among commonly used alloys in the 7xxx series.

The extrusion and sheet alloy 6056 was developed to provide weldable thin extrusions with an excellent balance between high strength and corrosion resistance. This datasheet provides information on composition limits, processing effects on mechanical properties, and applications of this 6xxx series alloy. It provides a material performance comparison of aluminum alloys 6056-T6511 with 2024-T3511 and 6056-T8511 with 2024-T3511.

Alloy 2198 is an Al-Cu-Li alloy that is used in combination with 2196-T8 stringers for the fuselage skins of the Bombardier C-Series. This datasheet provides information on composition limits of the alloy 2198 and provides a performance comparison of 2198-T8 and 2024-T351 alloys.

This datasheet provides information on key alloy metallurgy, processing effects on physical and mechanical properties, and applications of aluminum sheet alloy 3105.

Alloy 7475 is a controlled-toughness alloy for sheet and plate product forms. This datasheet provides information on key alloy metallurgy, processing effects on physical and mechanical properties, and fabrication characteristics of this 7xxx series alloy.

This datasheet provides information on key alloy metallurgy, mill product specifications, processing effects on physical and mechanical properties, and applications of high-strength aerospace alloys 2024 and Alclad 2024. It contains tables that list values of tensile property limits for 2024 sheet, plate, and round product forms. Figures illustrate the effect of stretching and aging on toughness of the 2024 sheet and the effect of temperature on tensile properties of 1.0 mm thick Alclad 2024-T3 sheet.

This datasheet provides information on composition limits, processing effects on mechanical properties, and applications of alloy 2524. A comparison of strength minimums and typical damage tolerance properties for Alclad 2524-T3 with Alclad 2024-T3 plate is also provided.

Alloy 5005, available as architectural sheet and components, was introduced in 1935 to fill the need of the mobile-home industry for a lightweight, inexpensive, workable, corrosion-resistant siding material. This datasheet provides information on composition limits, mill product specifications, processing effects on physical and mechanical properties, and fabrication characteristics of this 5xxx series alloy.

This datasheet provides information on key alloy metallurgy and applications of Alclad 2029. It contains tables that present statistically determined mechanical property minimums for Alclad 2029-T8 sheet and plate. The plane stress fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth resistance of alloys 2029 and 2024 are illustrated.

Alloy 6156 is an Al-Si-Mg-Cu-Mn weldable alloy, developed for the lower portion of the fuselage, which required a T6 temper strength level and high damage tolerance properties. This datasheet provides information on key alloy metallurgy of this 6xxx series alloy. Fatigue crack growth and material toughness for various thicknesses of alloy 6156 clad T62 are illustrated.

The automotive sheet alloy 6022 provides improved corrosion resistance, higher formability, and greater strength for dent resistance after thermal exposure compared with other automotive sheet alloys. This datasheet provides information on key alloy metallurgy, processing effects on mechanical properties, and fabrication characteristics of this 6xxx series alloy.

Crucible furnaces, as compared to electric arc furnaces, are increasingly deployed in various melting practices due to their environmental and workplace friendliness and their process benefits. This article focuses on the application of induction crucible furnaces for melting and pouring operations in small-and medium-sized steel foundries, including aluminum, copper, and zinc industries. It also provides information on the process engineering benefits of melting and pouring operations.

Estimation of process parameters for selective heating and heat treating of simple- and complex-shaped workpieces in induction hardening can be accurately carried out using numerical simulation techniques such as the finite-element analysis and the finite-different method. Along with the significant benefits of modern numerical simulations, it is important to be able to use rough estimation techniques to develop a general understanding of the critical parameters of a particular induction heating system. This article discusses such numerical techniques for estimating the critical parameters: workpiece power estimation; estimation of electrical and thermal efficiency of the coil; and frequency selection for heating solid cylinders, tubes, pipes, slabs, plates, strips, and rectangular workpieces.

Normalizing of steel is a heat treating process that is often considered from both thermal processing and microstructural standpoints. In terms of thermal processing, normalizing is defined as heating of a ferrous alloy to a suitable temperature above the transformation range and then cooling it in air to a temperature substantially below the transformation range. This article provides information on the normalizing of carbon and alloy steels, and discusses the processes involved and the furnaces used in normalizing of steel forgings, bar and tubular products, and castings. It contains tables that list the typical normalizing temperatures for standard carbon and alloy steels and typical mechanical properties of selected carbon and alloy steels in hot-rolled, normalized, and annealed conditions.

Ultrasonic welding (UW), as a solid-state joining process, uses an ultrasonic energy source and pressure to induce oscillating shears between the faying surfaces to produce metallurgical bonds between a wide range of metal sheets and wires. This article reviews the models of the ultrasonic welding with an emphasis on governing equations, material behavior, and heat generation of the process. It discusses the resulting factors, namely, vibration, friction, temperature, and plastic deformation as well as the bonding strength and its mechanism.

This article describes two methods based on rolling of sheet. The first is roll welding, where two or more sheets or plates are stacked together and then passed through rolls until sufficient deformation has occurred to produce solid-state welds. The other is laser roll welding, which is a hybrid process based on a thin-melting interface for a lap joint of dissimilar-metal sheets using a roller and one-sided laser heating. The article discusses the types, advantages, and applications of roll welding and laser roll welding. It also provides a detailed discussion on the laser roll welding of dissimilar metals.

This article explores the potential of through-process simulations of the development of microstructure, texture, and resulting properties during the thermomechanical processing of Al-Mn-Mg alloys, starting from the as-cast ingot to final-gage sheet. It provides an introduction of the thermomechanical production of aluminum sheet and, in particular, highlights the main effects governing the evolution of microstructure and texture. The simulation tools used to model the evolution of microchemistry, microstructure, and texture upon deformation and recrystallization of aluminum alloys are described. The article discusses the recrystallization behavior of alloy AA 3104 during the interstand times in between two consecutive hot rolling passes with the help of combined microstructure models.

This article discusses the presses, auxiliary equipment, and dies used in the blanking and piercing of commonly used magnetically soft materials, namely, low-carbon electrical steels and oriented and nonoriented silicon electrical steels. It describes the effect of stock thickness and work metal composition and condition on blanking and piercing. The article provides an overview of the influence of burr height on stacking factors and presents a discussion on the lubrication and core plating of electrical steels that ease the process.

Shearing is a method for cutting a material piece into smaller pieces using a shear knife to force the material past an opposition shear knife in a progression form. This article describes the principles, attributes, and defects of straight-knife shearing. The equipment, materials used, and the operating parameters are discussed. The article provides information on the applications of rotary shearing. It concludes with a discussion on devices equipped with shearing machines for protecting personnel from the hazards of shear knives, flywheels, gears, and other moving parts.

This article begins with a discussion on the energy sources used for thermal forming. These include electric induction coil, gas flame, plasma torch, and laser beam. The article discusses the mechanisms of forming and different modes of deformation. It describes the effect of process and material parameters on forming and the effect of metallurgical changes on mechanical property and microstructure of stainless steel. The article concludes with information on the applications of thermal forming.