What are the ways to increase the strength of aluminium alloys

What are the ways to increase the strength of aluminium alloys

Aluminium is corrosion resistant, easy to manufacture and highly recyclable. Although not as strong as steel, it is much lighter in weight, making it well suited to applications where strength and weight are important considerations. This is why aluminium is widely used in industries such as aerospace, mechanical engineering, transportation, consumer electronics, household and architectural decoration.

You may find that some aluminium alloys are not strong enough to meet your needs. Fortunately, manufacturers and designers have a wide range of options when it comes to aluminium grades. With some study, you can choose aluminium alloys that will make your products more durable and impact resistant, while retaining the other characteristics that make aluminium such an attractive material. Today, we will discuss some of the options for alloying aluminium and discuss which may be suitable for specific applications.

Work hardening is an option for strengthening aluminium

As mentioned earlier, work hardening, sometimes referred to as strain hardening, is also used to strengthen aluminium. It involves the plastic deformation of the metal, which leads to dislocations in the grain structure. Basically, the more dislocations there are, the harder it is to create more dislocations, so work hardening is a way to increase the overall strength of aluminium. It is important to note that the increase in strength is accompanied by a decrease in ductility. The usual method of accomplishing work hardening involves forming the metal at a temperature below its recrystallisation temperature (usually room temperature). The actual process may involve forging, bending, drawing or rolling aluminium. Cold working usually results in an increase in the hardness, yield strength and tensile strength of the metal.