This datasheet provides information on key alloy metallurgy, processing effects on physical and mechanical properties, and applications of natural aging casting alloys 711.0 and 712.0. The fatigue strength of smooth and notched permanent mold aluminum casting of C712.0-F is illustrated.

Alloy 713.0 is an aluminum-based casting alloy that ages at room temperature to provide high-strength sand and permanent-mold castings. This datasheet provides information on key alloy metallurgy, processing effects on physical and mechanical properties, and fabrication characteristics of this 7xxx series alloy.

This article is a comprehensive collection of tables and curves that present data on the properties of aluminum castings. Data are presented to explain the physical properties such as ratings of castability, corrosion resistance, machinablity, and weldability for aluminum casting alloys. The article discusses the typical mechanical properties and mechanical-property limits for aluminum sand casting alloys, permanent mold casting and die casting alloys based on tests of separately cast specimens; and typical mechanical properties of premium-quality aluminum alloy castings and elevated-temperature aluminum casting alloys. It provides a list of the creep-rupture properties and fatigue strengths of separately sand cast test bars of alloy 201.0, alloy C355.0-T61, alloy A356.0-T61, and alloy 354.0-T61.

This article contains a table that lists the values of nominal compositions and composition limits of aluminum alloy castings.

The most widely accepted alloy and temper designation system for aluminum and its alloys is maintained by the Aluminum Association and recognized by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as the American National Standard Alloy and Temper Designation Systems for Aluminum (ANSI H35.1). This article provides a detailed discussion on the alloy and temper designation system for aluminum and its alloys. The Aluminum Association alloy designations are grouped as wrought and cast alloys. Lengthy tables provide information on alloying elements in wrought aluminum and aluminum alloys; nominal composition of aluminum alloy castings; typical mechanical properties of wrought and cast aluminum alloys in various temper conditions; and cross references to former and current cast aluminum alloy designations.

Commercial aluminum alloys are classified based on how they are made and what they contain. This article describes the ANSI H35.1 designation system, which is widely used to classify wrought and cast aluminum alloys. The ANSI standard uses a four-digit numbering system to identify alloying elements, compositional modifications, purity levels, and product types. It also uses a multicharacter code to convey process-related details on heat treating, hardening, cooling, cold working, and other stabilization treatments. The article includes several large tables that provide extensive information on aluminum alloy and temper designations and how they correspond to critical mechanical properties as well as other designation systems.

Aluminum casting alloys are the most versatile of all common foundry alloys and generally have the highest castability ratings. This article discusses the designation and classification of aluminum casting alloys based on their composition and the factors influencing alloy selection. Alloys discussed include rotor alloys, commercial duralumin alloys, premium casting alloys, piston and elevated-temperature alloys, general-purpose alloys, magnesium alloys, aluminum-zinc-magnesium alloys, and bearing alloys. Six basic types of aluminum alloys developed for casting include aluminum-copper, aluminum-copper-silicon, aluminum-silicon, aluminum-magnesium, aluminum-zinc-magnesium, and aluminum-tin. The article also describes the main casting processes for aluminum alloys, which include die casting, permanent mold casting, sand casting (green sand and dry sand), plaster casting, and investment casting. In addition, the article discusses factors affecting the mechanical and physical properties, microstructural features that affect mechanical properties, the effects of alloying, and major applications of aluminum casting alloys.

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.

This article begins with a discussion on the effects of alloying and impurity elements on the properties of aluminum cast alloys and their chemical compositions. It describes the various means of structural control, namely, chemistry control, control of element ratios based on the stoichiometry of intermetallic phases, and control of solidification conditions. The article discusses the modification and grain refinement of aluminum-silicon alloys by the use of modifiers and refiners to influence eutectic and hypereutectic structures in aluminum-silicon alloys. It provides information on foundry alloys for specific casting applications. The article concludes with a discussion on the heat treatment practices and properties of aluminum casting alloys.

This article summarizes some general alloy groupings by application or major characteristics. The groupings include cast rotor, general-purpose, elevated-temperature, wear-resistant, moderate-strength, high-strength, and high-integrity die casting alloys and cast aluminum alloys bearings. A table lists selected applications for aluminum casting alloys.

This article aims to comprehensively review and summarize the material properties and engineering data for aluminum alloy castings and their many applications. The discussion focuses on conventional sand, permanent mold, and die castings as well as the premium engineered versions of some alloys. The article provides a summary of aluminum casting alloy designations of The Aluminum Association, the Unified Numbering System, and specific alloys considered premium strength by definition and by ASTM International and Aerospace Material Specifications. A distillation of data from published industry sources is given for a wide range of the properties and performance characteristics for topics such as: physical and thermophysical properties, typical and minimum mechanical properties, fatigue resistance, fracture resistance, and subcritical crack growth.

Brazing technology is continually advancing for a variety of metals including aluminum and its alloys and nonmetals. This article discusses the key physical phenomena in aluminum brazing and the materials for aluminum brazing, including base metals, filler metals, brazing sheet, and brazing flux. It describes various aluminum brazing methods, such as furnace, vacuum, dip, and torch brazing. Friction, flow, induction, resistance, and diffusion brazing are some alternate brazing methods discussed. The article reviews the brazing of aluminum to ferrous alloys, aluminum to copper, and aluminum to other nonferrous metals. It also discusses post-braze processes in terms of post-braze heat treatment and finishing. The article concludes with information on the safety precautions considered in brazing aluminum alloys.

Aluminum casting alloys are the most versatile of all common foundry alloys and generally have the highest castability ratings. Aluminum alloy castings are routinely produced by pressure-die, permanent-mold, green and dry-sand, investment, and plaster casting. This article describes factors affecting the selection of casting process and the general designation system for aluminum alloys. It provides useful information on mechanical test methods, selection of proper test specimens for accurate test methods, characteristics of premium engineered castings, and advantages of hot isostatic pressing.

Heat treatment of aluminum alloys is assessed by various quality-assurance methods that include metallographic examination, hardness measurements, mechanical property tests, corrosion-resistance tests, and electrical conductivity testing. The use of hardness measurements in the quality assurance of heat treated aluminum products is effectively used in conjunction with the measurement of surface electrical conductivity. This article provides a detailed discussion of the error sources in eddy-current conductivity measurements. It also presents useful information on the variation of electrical conductivity of alloy 2024 samples as a function of aging time at different isothermal holding temperatures.

The strength of aluminum castings can be improved significantly by heat treatments, which control the size, shape, and distribution of the impurity elements in the casting. This article presents a discussion on the heat treatment of aluminum alloy castings, with a focus on the fundamental technical aspects involved in each process step. The intent is to convey a good understanding of the fundamental aspects of heat treatment. Typical heat treatments of aluminum casting alloys are presented in a table. The article describes the solution heat treatment, quenching, and preaging of Al-Si-Mg alloys, as well as the solution heat treatment and artificial aging of Al-Si-Cu-Mg casting alloys.

This article presents a detailed discussion on typical thermal treatment practices for hardening of various aluminum casting alloys. These practices are solution treatment, quenching or cooling, preaging, and artificial aging at an elevated temperature. The aluminum casting alloys considered here are: Al-Cu and Al-Cu-Mg (2xx) alloys, Al-Zn-Mg (7xx) alloys, Al-Si-Mg alloys, Al-Si-Cu, and Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloys.

More than 450 alloy designations/compositions have been registered by the Aluminum Association (AA) Inc. for aluminum and aluminum alloys. This article contains tables that list the designations and composition limits of wrought unalloyed aluminum and wrought aluminum alloys, and designations and composition limits for aluminum alloys in the form of castings and ingot. It provides helpful information on the Unified Numbering System (UNS) numbers and its corresponding AA numbers for aluminum and aluminum alloys, and the international alloy designations cross-referenced to its equivalent compositions of wrought AA alloys.

Aluminum casting alloys are among the most versatile of all common foundry alloys and generally have high castability ratings. This article provides an overview of the common methods of aluminum shape casting. It discusses the designations of aluminum casting alloys categorized by the Aluminum Association designation system. The article summarizes the basic composition groupings of aluminum casting alloy and discusses the effects of specific alloying elements and impurities. The characteristics of the important casting processes are summarized and compared in a table. The article presents the advantages and disadvantages of green sand casting, permanent mold casting, semipermanent mold casting, and high-pressure die casting. A discussion on other casting processes, such as investment casting, lost foam, plaster mold casting, pressure casting, centrifugal casting, and semisolid casting, is also included.

This article discusses the corrosion resistance of aluminum and aluminum alloys in various environments, such as in natural atmospheres, fresh waters, seawater, and soils, and when exposed to chemicals and their solutions and foods. It describes the forms of corrosion of aluminum and aluminum alloys, including pitting corrosion, intergranular corrosion, exfoliation corrosion, galvanic corrosion, stray-current corrosion, deposition corrosion, crevice corrosion, filiform corrosion, stress-corrosion cracking, corrosion fatigue, and hydrogen embrittlement. The article also presents a short note on aluminum clad products and corrosion at joints.

This article focuses on the various forms of corrosion that occur in the passive range of aluminum and its alloys. It discusses pitting corrosion, galvanic corrosion, deposition corrosion, intergranular corrosion, stress-corrosion cracking, exfoliation corrosion, corrosion fatigue, erosion-corrosion, atmospheric corrosion, filiform corrosion, and corrosion in water and soils. The article describes the effects of composition, microstructure, stress-intensity factor, and nonmetallic building materials on the corrosion behavior of aluminum and its alloys. It also provides information on the corrosion resistance of anodized aluminum in contact with foods, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals.