different Types of Alu

[awesme]

Ok

 

Lets open the Bee nest.

 

Discussion around the dif types of Alu used in bikes, know to little to contribute, but interested in hearing.

 

Anyone?

 

G

[ChUkKy]

Making my popcorn right now

Edited October 29, 2013 by ChUkKy

[awesme]

ye, figured this might end in an interesting discussion,

 

so far everyone is looking, not throwing bits in.

 

G

 

Making my popcorn right now

[divernick]

My bikes are 4130 chr mo. Oh wait, thats steel. Oh well.

[awesme]

Nothing wrong with expanding this discussion to cover Steel and Titanium also.

 

G

 

My bikes are 4130 chr mo. Oh wait, thats steel. Oh well.

[Morwa]

I'm also very interested in this....hence my other thread this morning relating to "high" end aluminium frames.

 

I've read that there is 6000 and 7000 aluminium....but I don't have a clue to what it means.

[awesme]

Morwa

 

Thats why I'm asking, I see all these dif label/types of Alu an dither metals and just wondering what it brings to the party.

 

G

 

I'm also very interested in this....hence my other thread this morning relating to "high" end aluminium frames.

 

I've read that there is 6000 and 7000 aluminium....but I don't have a clue to what it means.

[Morwa]

So where are the Metallurgists or Metallurgical Engineers hiding? Enlighten us!

[DJR]

Let Google be your mentor, but here is a shortcut.......

 

 

Wrought Aluminium alloys

 

The International Alloy Designation System is the most widely accepted naming scheme for wrought alloys. Each alloy is given a four-digit number, where the first digit indicates the major alloying elements.

• 1000 series are essentially pure aluminium with a minimum 99% aluminium content by weight and can be work hardened.
  
• 2000 series are alloyed with copper, can be precipitation hardened to strengths comparable to steel. Formerly referred to as duralumin, they were once the most common aerospace alloys, but were susceptible to stress corrosion cracking and are increasingly replaced by 7000 series in new designs.
  
• 3000 series are alloyed with manganese, and can be work hardened.
  
• 4000 series are alloyed with silicon. They are also known as silumin.
  
• 5000 series are alloyed with magnesium.
  
• 6000 series are alloyed with magnesium and silicon, are easy to machine, and can be precipitation hardened, but not to the high strengths that 2000 and 7000 can reach.
  
• 7000 series are alloyed with zinc, and can be precipitation hardened to the highest strengths of any aluminium alloy.
  
• 8000 series is a category mainly used for lithium alloys.^{[citation needed]}
  

 

[DJR]

......and some more......

 

 

Cycling alloys

 

These alloys are used for cycling frames and components

• 2014 aluminium
  
• 6061 aluminium
  
• 6063 aluminium
  
• 7005 aluminium
  
• 7075 aluminium
  
• Scandium aluminium
  

[awesme]

So most MTB's are manufactured out of 6066, why is the 6xxx Alu better for MTB's than another.

 

Whats the pro's and cons of the dif Alu's for our use.

 

G

[awesme]

and it's gone quiet...

 

G

[kosmonooit]

One interesting alloy of Al is 'Scandium' - the Al actually only typically contains between 0.1% and 0.5% of scandium.

 

Used in aerospace as well, really tough stuph. Need an Angle Grinder to cut it.

Edited October 30, 2013 by kosmonooit

[Skylark]

So most MTB's are manufactured out of 6066, why is the 6xxx Alu better for MTB's than another.

 

Whats the pro's and cons of the dif Alu's for our use.

 

G

 

Probably because 7000 series is too expensive

[rouxtjie]

Probably because 7000 series is too expensive

Or too brittle.

[Plentipotential]

Or too brittle.

 

Would not be too brittle, unless the heat treatment was duffed. 7075 is used to manufacture very specialized fasteners for the power generation and transmission industry, specifically nuclear power industry. Very expensive, may as well buy carbon.