Aluminum mill products are those that have been subjected to plastic deformation by hot- and cold-working mill processes such as rolling, extruding, and drawing, either singly or in combination. Microstructural changes associated with the working and with any accompanying thermal treatments are used to control certain properties and characteristics of the worked, or wrought, product or alloy. This article discusses the designation system, classification, product forms, corrosion and fabrication characteristics, and applications of wrought aluminum alloys. Commercial wrought aluminum products are divided into flat-rolled products (sheet, plate, and foil); rod, bar, and wire; tubular products; shapes; and forgings. The article discusses factors affecting the strengthening mechanisms, fracture toughness, and physical properties of aluminum alloys, in addition to the effects of alloying on the physical and mechanical properties. Important alloying elements and impurities are listed alphabetically as a concise review of major effects.

This article discusses the classification, characteristics and temper designations of wrought aluminum alloys. Wrought aluminum products are available as flat-rolled products such as sheets, plates, and foils; rods, bars, and wires; tubular products such as tubes and pipes; extruded shapes; forgings; and impacts. The article provides information on product economics, design and selection, including product dimension and dimension tolerances, and design and use of wrought product capabilities. Finally, it tabulates the specifications and standards for aluminum mill products.

This article introduces the basic characteristics, processes, and product forms associated with the five major categories of aluminum wrought products, namely, flat-rolled products (sheet, plate, and foil); rod, bar, and wire; tubular products; profiles; and forgings. It summarizes the various product forms in which commonly used wrought aluminum alloys are available. The article also provides design guidelines for aluminum extrusions and discusses various forming methods.

Aluminum, the second most plentiful metallic element, is an economic competitor in various applications owing to its appearance, light weight, fabricability, physical properties, mechanical properties, and corrosion resistance. This article discusses the primary and secondary production of aluminum and classification system for cast and wrought aluminum alloys. It talks about various manufactured forms of aluminum and its alloys, which are classified into standardized products such as sheet, plate, foil, rod, bar, wire, tube, pipe, and structural forms, and engineered products such as extruded shapes, forgings, impacts, castings, stampings, powder metallurgy parts, machined parts, and metal-matrix composites. The article also reviews important fabrication characteristics in the machining, forming, forging, and joining of aluminum alloys. It concludes with a description of the major industrial applications of aluminum, including building and construction, transportation, consumer durables, electrical, machinery and equipment, containers and packaging, and other applications.

Filiform corrosion has been observed to occur under a wide range of organic coatings and proceeds with the same general characteristics on steel, aluminum, and magnesium. This article describes the standard tests for filiform corrosion, characteristics and mechanisms of filiform corrosion in steels, as well as coated aluminum and magnesium. It concludes with information on the prevention and mitigation of filiform corrosion accomplished through the adjustment of the environment and changes in the substrate and coating systems.

This article discusses the major characteristics of the 3xxx series aluminum alloys. It contains a table that lists product specifications of these 3xxx alloys.

The development of aluminum alloys has progressed along two tracks: heat treatable and non-heat treatable. The Aluminum Association alloy composition limits and product temper are defined for major alloying elements. This article summarizes the historical evolution of the different series of wrought aluminum alloys (1xxx to 8xxx) and discusses their applications based on the alloying system introduced by the Aluminum Association.

This article focuses on the various criteria considered in the selection of product forms, joint types, solders, and filler metals for brazing and soldering of base material components.

This article begins with a discussion on the advantages and limitation of ultrasonic welding (USW). It describes variations of the USW process which can produce different weld geometries. These variations are helpful in producing spot welds, line welds, continuous seam welds, ring welds, and microelectronic welds. The article provides information on the functions of USW personnel and describes the special conditions in USW which include the condition of the surface, the use of an interlayer, and the control of resonance. It concludes with a description on the weld quality, the influencing factors, surface appearance and deformation, and metallographic examination.

This datasheet provides information on key alloy metallurgy, fabrication characteristics, processing effects on physical and mechanical properties, and applications of commercially pure aluminum grades 1100 and 1100A. It contains table that lists the standard specifications for 1100 aluminum. The reflectivity of 1100 aluminum as a function of aluminum oxide coating thickness and emissivity of 1100 aluminum foil as a function of coating thickness are illustrated.

This article focuses on clad brazing material, which is defined as any base material or alloy that is clad with an appropriate lower-melting-point brazing filler metal. It provides information on typical clad brazing strip products in a tabular form and lists the advantages of using clad brazing materials. The article compares the steps in using brazing preforms to fabricate a brazed assembly with the steps involved in using clad brazing materials. It concludes with a discussion on design and manufacturing considerations, during brazing with clad brazing materials.

Ultrasonic metal welding is a solid-state welding process that produces coalescence through the simultaneous application of localized high-frequency vibratory energy and moderate clamping forces. This article discusses the parameters to be considered when selecting a suitable welder for ultrasonic metal welding. It details the personnel requirements, advantages, limitations, and applications, namely, wire welds, spot welds, continuous seam welds, and microelectronic welds of ultrasonic metal welding.

This article contains tables that provide values for compositions and physical and mechanical properties of 1xxx series aluminum alloys. Emphasis is placed on highly refined aluminum (1199) and high-purity aluminum (1060). Examples of common 1xxx series aluminum alloys specified in products standards are also presented. A figure illustrates the effect of purity on strength and hardness of unalloyed aluminum.

Photochemical machining (PCM), also known as chemical blanking, is a metal-etching process that uses a photoresist to define the locations where the metal will be etched. This article describes the major steps used in the PCM process, namely, the preparation of the phototool, selection of the metal, preparation of the workpiece, masking with photoresists, etching, and stripping and inspection. The article reviews various design considerations for the PCM process. These include dimensional limitations, tolerances, and edge quality. The article also discusses the advantages, disadvantages, and applications of the PCM process.

This datasheet provides information on key alloy metallurgy, processing effects on physical and mechanical properties, fabrication characteristics, and applications of general engineering alloys 3003 and Alclad 3003.

Metal-matrix composites (MMCs) are a class of materials with a wide variety of structural, wear, and thermal management applications. This article discusses the primary processing methods used to manufacture discontinuous aluminum MMCs, namely, high-pressure die casting, pressure infiltration casting, liquid metal infiltration, spray deposition, and powder metallurgy methods. It describes the processing of continuous fiber-reinforced aluminum, discontinuously, reinforced titanium, and continuous fiber-reinforced titanium. The article concludes with information on work done to develop magnesium, copper, and superalloy MMCs.

Ingot casting is the vital conduit between molten metal provided by primary production and recycling, and the manufacture of aluminum and aluminum alloy products. This article discusses various ingot forms, such as remelt ingot, billets, ingots for rolling, fabricating ingot, and particle ingot and powder. It describes the molten metal processing and ingot casting process in terms of open-mold casting and direct chill process. The article examines the continuous processes that provide commercial alternatives to conventional ingot casting. It reviews the postsolidification processes in terms of stress relief, homogenization, and scalping. The article concludes with a discussion on safety limited to ingot casting.

Ingot casting is the vital conduit between molten metal provided by primary production and recycling and the manufacture of aluminum and aluminum alloy products. A number of ingot casting processes have been developed to ensure the soundness, integrity, and homogeneity required by downstream manufacturing processes. This article starts with a review of the different forms of ingot and the molten-metal processing techniques involved in ingot casting. It then describes the open-mold casting and direct chill (DC) ingot casting processes. The process variations and solidification in the DC process are summarized. The article explains continuous processes, namely, twin-roll strip casting, slab casting, and wheel-belt processes. It concludes with information on postsolidification processes, including stress relief and scalping, and a discussion of safety practices for ingot casting.