This datasheet provides information on composition limits, mill product specifications, fabrication characteristics, processing effects on physical and mechanical properties, and applications of high-strength Al-Mg-Mn-Cr alloy 5456.

This article is an atlas of fractographs that helps in understanding the causes and mechanisms of fracture of wrought aluminum alloys and in identifying and interpreting the morphology of fracture surfaces. The fractographs illustrate the corrosion-fatigue fracture, fatigue striations, tension-overload fracture surface, ductile fracture, cone-shaped fracture surface, intergranular crack propagation, transgranular crack propagation, stress-corrosion cracking, hydrogen damage, and grain-boundary separation of these alloys. Fractographs are also provided for a forged aircraft main-landing gear wheel and actuator beam, an aircraft wing spar, a fractured aircraft propeller blade, shot peened fillet, an aircraft lower-bulkhead cap, and clevis-attachment lugs.

This article briefly reviews the factors that affect the fatigue strength of aluminum alloy weldments. It discusses a number of factors influencing the fatigue performance of welded aluminum joints. The article describes the effects of fatigue behavior on weldments based on parent alloy selection, weld joint configuration, and residual stress. The two categories of techniques that can result in improved fatigue life, such as modification of weld toe geometry and introduction of compressive residual stresses in the surface material, are detailed. The article analyzes the influence of section size on fatigue performance of aluminum alloy weldments.

This article provides a comprehensive matrix for selecting an aluminum filler alloy for the gas tungsten arc and gas metal arc welding processes, based on the various requirements or service conditions. A table lists the nominal strengths of aluminum filler metals.

Aluminum and its alloys can be joined by as many or more methods than any other metal. This article discusses the properties of aluminum, namely hydrogen solubility, electrical conductivity, and thermal characteristics. It analyses the primary factors commonly considered when selecting a welding filler alloy. These include ease of welding or freedom from cracking, tensile or shear strength of the weld, weld ductility, service temperature, corrosion resistance, and color match between the weld and base alloy after anodizing. The article provides a detailed description of gas-shielded arc welding processes for welding of aluminum alloys and also reviews other welding processes such as oxyfuel gas welding and laser-beam welding.

Aluminum alloys, particularly the heat-treatable alloys, are sensitive to weld cracking. Anticipation of these characteristics and general knowledge of these materials assist in selection of suitable method for welding heat-treatable aluminum alloys. This article provides a general description of the metallurgy, characteristics, and applications of heat-treatable aluminum alloys and a detailed discussion on the characteristics of heat-treatable aluminum alloys, their resulting impact on the weld quality and property, along with the methods of avoiding or reducing the impacts. The impact created in the weld quality includes crack sensitivity, liquation cracking, porosity, and heat-affected zone degradation. The article provides an overview of filler alloy selection for reducing weld crack sensitivity and increasing weld strength, ductility, and corrosion resistance in the welds of heat-treatable aluminum alloys.

Weldability is a function of three major factors: base material quality, welding process, and design. This article focuses on base-metal weldability of aluminum alloys in terms of mechanical property degradation in both the weld region and heat-affected zone, weld porosity, and susceptibility to solidification cracking and liquation cracking. It provides an overview on welding processes, including gas metal arc welding, gas tungsten arc welding, resistance spot and seam welding, laser beam welding, and various solid-state welding processes. A review on joint design is also included, mainly in the general factors associated with service weldability (fitness). The article also provides a discussion on the selection and weldability of non-heat-treatable aluminum alloys, heat treatable aluminum alloys, aluminum-lithium alloys, and aluminum metal-matrix composites.

The aluminum alloy 4043 is recommended as a filler metal when resistance to salt water corrosion is required, especially when welding such aluminum alloys as 5052, 6061, and 6063. This datasheet provides information on key alloy metallurgy, and processing effects on tensile properties of this 4xxx series alloy.

This article contains a table that lists the thermal conductivity of selected metals and alloys near room temperature. These include aluminum and aluminum alloys; copper and copper alloys; iron and iron alloys; lead and lead alloys; magnesium and magnesium alloys; nickel and nickel alloys; tin and tin alloys; titanium and titanium alloys; zinc and zinc alloys; and pure metals.

Aluminum wrought products, castings, welds, and fasteners are used in many structural applications where they are required to safely support a load. It is useful to design aluminum structural components with its structural properties in mind from conceptualization rather than attempting to mimic components of other materials. This article discusses design specifications, design requirements and methods, and material properties used in aluminum structural design. These properties include tensile yield strength and tensile ultimate strength, welding, and ductility. The article describes various factors that affect the strength of two categories of aluminum structural components, namely members and connections. Design requirements for aluminum bolts, rivets, screws, and pins are provided. The article concludes with a discussion on the considerations for serviceability, namely deflections and vibrations.

This article presents a table that lists the linear thermal expansion of selected metals and alloys. These include aluminum, copper, iron, lead, magnesium, nickel, tin, titanium, and zinc and their alloys. Thermal expansion is presented for specific temperature ranges.

Aluminum and aluminum alloys are very suitable for extrusion and many types of profiles can be produced from easily extrudable alloys. This article lists the basic characteristics of aluminum and its alloys. It tabulates the aluminum extrusion alloys by series and lists the typical applications for 6xxx series aluminum extrusions. The article discusses three broad categories of extrusion profiles: solid profile, hollow profile, and semi hollow profile. It provides information on weldability and machinability, which are often considered in profile design and product performance. The article discusses different aluminum extrusion processes, such as the direct extrusion process and the indirect extrusion process. It schematically illustrates the plotting of flow stress and extrudability for several types of aluminum alloys. The article concludes with information on the heat treatment and precipitation hardening for alloys, such as 2xxx, 6xxx, and 7xxx.

Non-heat-treatable aluminum alloys constitute a group of alloys that rely solely upon cold work and solid solution strengthening for their strength properties. This article focuses on the weldability and weld properties of different classes on non-heat-treatable aluminum alloys.