Aluminum 3005 Alloy (UNS A93005) – Composition, Properties and Uses
Aluminum 3005 is a strong and lightweight alloy that offers several advantages for various industries. It has excellent corrosion resistance, good heat resistance, and is highly machinable. This makes it an ideal material for many applications, including automotive parts, aerospace components, and construction materials. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the composition of aluminium 3005 and its mechanical and physical properties, as well as its uses and how to work with it.
Aluminium 3005 Composition
AL 3005’s main components are aluminium (99%), magnesium (0.3%), manganese (0.2-0.6%), chromium (0-0.1%) and other trace elements such as iron, silicon, copper, titanium, and zinc. As you can see from this list of ingredients, aluminium 3005 is an alloy that contains relatively low amounts of other metals compared to pure aluminum. This helps give it strength while still keeping the weight down.
Element | Content (%) |
---|---|
Aluminum, Al | 95.7 – 98.8 |
Manganese, Mn | 1- 1.5 |
Iron, Fe | ≤ 0.70 |
Silicon, Si | ≤ 0.60 |
Copper, Cu | ≤ 0.30 |
Zinc, Zn | ≤ 0.25 |
Magnesium, Mg | 0.20 – 0.60 |
Chromium, Cr | ≤ 0.10 |
Titanium, Ti | ≤ 0.10 |
Other (each) | ≤ 0.050 |
Other (total) | ≤ 0.15 |
Aluminium 3005 Mechanical Properties
The mechanical properties of aluminium Grade 3005 make it an ideal choice for a wide variety of applications that require strength but also need to be lightweight. Its tensile strength ranges from 150 – 280 MPa (megapascals), with a yield strength between 80 – 160 MPa depending on the temper grade used in the alloying process. The elongation at break is typically around 10%, making it an extremely ductile material that can be easily formed into different shapes without compromising its strength or durability.
Properties | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Tensile strength | 180 MPa | 26100 psi |
Yield strength | 165 MPa | 23900 psi |
Elongation | 7% | 7% |
Elastic modulus | 69 GPa | 10000 ksi |
Shear strength | 110 MPa | 16000 psi |
Hardness, Brinell (@load 500 kg; thickness 10.0 mm) | 49 | 49 |
Aluminium 3005 Physical Properties
Alloy 3005’s physical properties make it suitable for a wide range of applications where corrosion resistance and heat resistance are important factors. It has an average density of 2.7 g/cm3, making it light weight compared to other metals like steel or copper. It also has an impressive melting point of 616°C which means it won’t deform under high temperatures or when exposed to flame retardants or fire-resistant chemicals like some other materials might do. Furthermore, its thermal conductivity is excellent at 157 W/mK, making it ideal for use in electrical equipment where heat must be efficiently conducted away from sensitive components like processors or memory chipsets without damaging them.
Properties | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Density | 2.73 g/cm³ | 0.0986 lb/in³ |
Melting point | 630 – 655°C | 1170 – 1210 °F |
Thermal Properties
Properties | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Thermal expansion co-efficient (@20-100°C/68-212°F) | 23.9 µm/m°C | 13.3 µin/in°F |
Thermal conductivity | 160 W/mK | 1110 BTU in/hr.ft².°F |
Aluminium 3005 Uses
Due to its combination of mechanical and physical properties, aluminum 3005 is used in a variety of industries such as transportation (automotive parts), aerospace engineering (fuselage components), building & construction (structural support beams), power generation (turbine blades), marine engineering (boat hulls), furniture manufacturing (table legs & frames), medical device manufacturing & defence industries (weapon systems). It’s also used in domestic products such as cookware due to its high corrosion resistance and ease of cleaning after use.
Corrosion Resistance
Aluminum alloys have excellent corrosion resistance due to their natural oxide layer, which forms when exposed to air or water. This oxide layer acts as a barrier against further oxidation, preventing rusting or pitting on the surface. Due to this property,aluminium alloys like Al3005 are often used in areas where corrosive substances such as saltwater may be present.
Heat Resistance
Al3005 has good heat resistance due to its ability to resist melting up until temperatures around 600°C before succumbing to thermal degradation. This makes it an ideal candidate material for use in high-temperature environments such as furnaces or kilns where temperatures regularly exceed 200°C.
Heat Treatment
Heat treatment allows metals such as aluminium alloys like al30055 to be hardened by changing their microstructure through heating followed by cooling processes. Commonly used treatments include solution treating, age hardening, stress relieving & tempering, all of which can help improve the physical properties of the metal, such as hardness & ductility, depending on what type of treatment is applied.
Machining
Machining aluminium alloys can be tricky because they tend to soften when heated during cutting operations, causing them to lose their shape if not cooled correctly during machining processes. To avoid this problem, coolant should be used during machining operations along with slower cutting speeds & feed rates so that sufficient time is given for cooling.
Welding
Welding al30055 requires special care because it has a low melting point comparedt o most other metals, meaning that if too much heat is applied during welding operations, then it may cause distortion due to even slight changes in temperature during welding cycles. For best results, argon shield gas shouldbe used along with careful monitoring of preheat temperatures so that the base metal does not become overheated during welding operations.
Conclusion:
As you can see from this overview, aluminium 3005 has many advantages over other materials due to its composition and mechanical/physical properties—not least among these being its outstanding corrosion resistance, excellent heat resistance, easy machinability and weldability—making it one of the most versatile materials available today for use across multiple industries including automotive engineering and aerospace industry applications. With these qualities and its light weight characteristics, aluminum alloy 30105 will continue being a popular choice amongst design engineers when looking for reliable materials that offer both strength and flexibility within their design requirements. By understanding how best work with aluminium alloy 30105, any engineer will guarantee they get maximum value out their chosen material throughout long term service life expected within any application field desired!
Meet Heer, a dynamic and driven writer learning tricks of her trade in the metal industry. With a background in Digital Marketing, Heer brings a unique perspective to her writing, sharing valuable insights. Apart from blogging she like reading and hiking.