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Article
Aluminum alloys
Article By:
Russell, Allen S. Alcoa Laboratories, Aluminum Company of America, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Sanders, Tom H., Jr. Department of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.
Last reviewed:February 2021
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.026450
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Substances formed by the addition of one or more elements, usually metals, to aluminum. The principal alloying elements in aluminum-base alloys are magnesium (Mg), silicon (Si), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and manganese (Mn) [Fig. 1]. In wrought products, which constitute the greatest use of aluminum, the alloys are identified by four-digit numbers of the form NXXX, where the value of N denotes the alloy type and the principal alloying element(s) as follows: 1 (Al; at least 99% aluminum by weight), 2 (Cu), 3 (Mn), 4 (Si), 5 (Mg), 6 (Mg + Si), 7 (Zn), 8 (other). See also: Copper; Magnesium; Manganese; Silicon; Zinc
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