ALUMINIUM PROPERTIES

Pure aluminium is a silvery-white metal with many desirable characteristics. It is light, non-toxic (as the metal), non-magnetic and non-sparking.

It is decorative, easily formed, machined and cast. Alloys with small amounts of copper, magnesium, silicon, manganese and other elements have very useful properties.

Strengths depends on purity. 99.996% pure aluminium has a tensile strength of about 49 megapascals (MPa), rising to 700 MPa following alloying and suitable heat treatment.

Although not found free in nature, Aluminium is only one-third the weight of steel. Most of its alloys are highly resistant to most forms of corrosion. The metal's natural coating of aluminium oxide provides a highly effective barrier to the ravages of air, temperature, moisture and chemical attack.

Aluminium is a superb conductor of electricity. This property allied with other intrinsic qualities has ensure the replacement of copper by aluminium in many situations. Aluminium is non-magnetic and non-combustible, properties invaluable in advanced industries such as electronics or in offshore structures. It is also non-toxic and impervious, qualities that have established its use in the food and packaging industries since the earliest times.

Other valuable properties include high reflectivity, heat barrier properties and heat conduction. The metal is malleable and easily worked by the common manufacturing and shaping processes.