Aluminum Alloys

Abstract Aluminum is the most abundant metal and the third most abundant chemical element in Earth's crust, comprising over 8% of its weight. This chapter reviews the characteristics of aluminum alloys that make them so attractive and note the variety of applications in which they are used. It discusses the wrought alloys and cast alloys. The general corrosion behavior of aluminum alloys depends basically on three factors: (1) the stability of the oxide film, (2) the environment, and (3) the alloying elements. Cutting tool materials for machining aluminum alloys include water‐hardening steels, high‐speed steels, hard‐cast alloys, sintered carbides, and diamonds. The aluminum surface can be finished in more different ways than any other metal. The normal finishing operations fall into four categories: mechanical, chemical, electrochemical, and applied. There are at least two approaches to overviewing important applications of aluminum alloys: by alloy class, and by type of application.