Since there are different applications made with aluminum, meeting the requirement of the items will make aluminum undergo heat treatment. heat treatment will change the properties of aluminum in certain ways to meet a desired characteristic. In one of my previous articles, I extensively discuss on heat treatment of ferrous and nonferrous metals, their processes were also explained.
Today you’ll get to know the heat treatment process of aluminum and aluminum alloy which include annealing homogenizing, solution heat treatment, etc.
Read more: Heat Treatment of Aluminum and Aluminum Alloys
Contents
Heat treatment of aluminum & aluminum alloys
Heat treatment of aluminum and copper undergoes almost the same heat-treating process. but their result is definitely different. The process of annealing, homogenizing, and solution heat treatment can be performed on copper and aluminum giving different results. Just as explained, annealing is carried out in copper to soften the materials that have been working hardened. Whilst on aluminum, it is done to achieve strain-hardened material, unlike copper which losses its hardening (strain hardening) when annealed. The same occurs with homogenizing.
Heat treatment of aluminum is carried out to increase the strength and hardness of a certain subset of aluminum alloys that are hardened by precipitation.
Read more: Heat treatment of copper and copper alloys
Different requirement of aluminum properties leads to various heat-treating process. Below are the heat treatment for aluminum and aluminum alloys:
Annealing:
Aluminum alloys obtain strain hardening when subjected to work. It occurs when the material is plastically deformed, which causes the grain structure within the aluminum to slide against each other along the slip plane area. The purpose of such aluminum alloys is to restore the crystalline grain structure and the slip plane. Helping the continuation of the shaping with low force. In other words, to relieve internal stresses that are developed during operation, such as cold forging or casting.
Annealing is achieved on aluminum alloys when the material is heated at about 570 degrees Fahrenheit to 770 degrees Fahrenheit, which is for about 30 min to 3 hours. The temperature and time are determined by the composition of the alloys and the size of the material. The rate of cooling is not critical. That is, it has no effects after the annealing process is achieved.
Read more: Heat treatment of metals: definition, purpose advantages, and disadvantages
Homogenizing:
Homogenizing is done to distribute the precipitation elements more evenly in an aluminum part. It is achieved by raising its temperature below its melting point, usually between 900 degrees Fahrenheit to 1000-degree Fahrenheit. If the homogenizing temperature reaches, the aluminum is allowed to slowly cool.
Solution heat treatment:
The purpose of solution heat treatment is to allow the metal part to easily work. It is performed by heating the aluminum part at a specific temperature, depending on the alloy composition in the aluminum. Specifically, at the range of 825 degrees Fahrenheit to 980 degrees Fahrenheit. If the exact temperature is obtained, the operation will not be successful.
That is, if the temperature is too low, there will be strength lost, and when the temperature is too high, then the part could melt, and end up being discolored. Or increased strain within the part. The part is soaked when it reaches the target temperature. this soaking time can be from 10 min for the materials to 12 hours for longer or thicker parts. The part is quenched at this point.
Read more: Process of Heat Treatment of ferrous metals
The quenching or rapid cooling help to preserve the final distribution of dissolved elements in the alloy that was achieved. that is, to “freeze” the trapped elements in place, or to cool the aluminum part rapidly enough to keep the alloying element to precipitate out as the part cools. The part is commonly cooled with water.
Natural aging:
Aluminum that undergoes solution heat treatment will precipitate out after some time, which will cause the grain to look into position, helping to increase the natural strength of the part. The natural aging or age-hardening process takes place at room temperature within four to five days, obtaining at least 90 percent of the hardening within the first day. For this reason, aluminum materials are shaped rather quickly after they undergo solution heat treatment.
Read more: Understanding wrought iron
Artificial aging (precipitation hardening):
Artificial hardening is done when an aluminum part needed maximum hardness, which is not achieved during natural aging, at room temperature. in order to achieve this, the dissolved elements need to be fully precipitated out, which is done by subjecting aluminum to heat to an alloy at a specific temperature. usually at 240 degrees Fahrenheit and 460 degrees Fahrenheit of exact temperature. at this point, it is soaked for about six to twenty-four hours and then cooled at room temperature. the aluminum part will then increase in yield strength, little increase in tensile strength, and decrease in ductility.
Read more: Everything you need to know about cast iron
That is all for this article, where the heat treatment of aluminum and aluminum alloys is discussed. I hope you get a lot from this post, if so, kindly share it with other students. Thanks for reading, see you next time!
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