Aluminum products are used extensively in natural atmospheres and in and around water. They are also widely used in building materials and as containers for chemicals and food and beverage products. This chapter discusses the corrosion mechanisms associated with these environments and the influence of various factors and prevention methods. It also includes an extensive amount of data of corrosion rates, corrosion resistance, and changes in mechanical properties.

This chapter describes the mechanisms, characteristics, and prevention of intergranular and exfoliation corrosion in various aluminum alloys. It discusses susceptible alloys and recommended tempers and presents several examples of exfoliation in aircraft components. It also explains how the two forms of corrosion are related to stress-corrosion cracking.

Forged aluminum products vary widely in their production methods and applications. The forging process allows for control of microstructure and directional properties, and their fatigue and fracture resistance are superior to shape castings. This chapter presents the types, equipment, process steps, alloys, and products of aluminum forging.

This appendix provides fracture toughness and tensile property data for aluminum alloys in the 2000, 6000, 7000, and 8000 series as well as B201 and D357 aluminum castings and powder metal alloys.

This article reviews weldability of aluminum alloys and factors that affect weld performance. It first addresses hot tears, which can form during the welding of various aluminum alloys. It then presents comparison data from different weldability tests and discusses the specific properties that affect welding, namely oxide characteristics; the solubility of hydrogen in molten aluminum; and its thermal, electrical, and nonmagnetic characteristics. The article addresses the primary factors commonly considered when selecting a welding filler alloy, namely 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. A number of factors, both global and local, that influence the fatigue performance of welded aluminum joints are also covered.

A large portion of cast and wrought product production is directed to the ground transportation market. Aluminum castings, extrusions, forgings, and rolled products all find wide application for trucks, trains, subways, and buses and are discussed in this chapter.

Aluminum shapes, rod, bar, tubes, and wire may be produced directly as extrusions or by subsequent processing of continuous cast stock. This chapter describes the key aspects of aluminum extrusion and wire production focusing on the more common hot extrusion process and presenting the general types of aluminum extrusion alloys. An overview of free-machining alloys and products, and weldable 6xxx and 7xxx high-strength structural alloys is also provided.

This chapter reviews and provides data tables for the wide range of properties and performance characteristics that are possible with specific aluminum casting alloys and tempers. Properties and performance attributes addressed include casting and finishing characteristics; typical physical properties; typical and minimum (design) mechanical properties; fatigue strength; fracture resistance, including subcritical crack growth; and resistance to general corrosion and to stress-corrosion cracking. The chapter concludes with information on the properties of cast aluminum matrix composites.