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Book Review: Properties of Aluminum Alloys: Tensile, Creep, and Fatigue Data at High and Low Temperatures
12-16-02
Publishers: The Aluminum Association / ASM International
"How quickly will 7075-T6 lose strength at elevated temperature? What are the cryogenic properties of 2219-T851 plate? How does the creep resistance of 356.0-T7 sand castings change with increasing temperature? What is the effect of a notch on the fatigue properties of 6061-T6?" These are the types of questions typically fielded by the Aluminum Answerssm service, and ones that were hard to answer quantitatively until the publication of Properties of Aluminum Alloys: Tensile, Creep, and Fatigue Data at High and Low Temperatures, an extensive compilation of data, edited by J. Gilbert Kaufman and published jointly by the Aluminum Association and ASM International. This data was developed at Alcoa Laboratories over a roughly 30 year period from 1950 to the mid-1980's, and in 1997 they assigned the rights to the data to The Aluminum Association, Inc. so that they could be made more widely available.
The book is organized into two major parts. The first addresses mechanical properties of both wrought and cast aluminum alloys, and is organized by alloy family. At the beginning of each alloy family section, a brief description of the principal characteristics and applications is given, which is helpful from the materials selection standpoint. Typical tensile properties, including elastic modulus, are provided over a range of temperatures from -452oF (-269oC) to 700oF (390 oC) and include properties measured both at temperature and at room temperature after exposure. In addition, creep, creep-rupture, and stress-relaxation data, which have been difficult to find in one place in the past, are also tabulated.
The second part of the book tabulates the fatigue data. In this case, only wrought alloys are included and the section is organized by the type of fatigue test. A majority of the data is obtained at room temperature, although there is cantilever-beam fatigue data at elevated temperatures up to 600oF (315 oC) provided. Both smooth and notched specimens for the R.R. Moore rotating beam and axial-stress tests were used, providing a useful indication of the notch-sensitivity of various alloy/temper/product form combinations.
Two helpful Appendices are also included in the book. The first outlines the Aluminum Association Alloy and Temper Designation System while the second covers the metrification of aluminum properties. These are probably most beneficial for those desiring a high level understanding, and would be best supplemented by the Aluminum Standards and Data 2000 as well as other pertinent Aluminum Association publications for a more complete picture.
Although it is clearly pointed out that these properties are typical and not for design, the extensive range of alloys, tempers, and product forms covered in this compilation makes it an invaluable reference for those seeking to narrow the search for a suitable selection. As if the hard copy book wasn't helpful enough, the data is also now available in the form of a CD-ROM format that is fully searchable.
Properties of Aluminum Alloys: Tensile, Creep, and Fatigue Data at High and Low
Temperatures is available from the Aluminum Association, online at www.aluminum.org.
It is also available from ASM International online at www.asminternational.org.
Article provided courtesy of The Aluminum Association - www.aluminum.org
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