1100 Aluminium Specification

Aluminium 1100 is soft, low strength and is considered the most commercially pure aluminium alloy, composed of 99.6% aluminium. Copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, silicon, titanium, vanadium and zinc comprise the remaining 0.4%. It cannot be hardened by heat treatment, but is very weldable and formable. Cold working is the most common way to form aluminium 1100. Therefore, it may be shaped into many different products, including chemical equipment, railroad tank cars, fin stock, dials, name plates, cooking utensils, rivets, reflectors and sheet metal. The plumbing and lighting industries also use aluminium 1100.

It is manufactured a wide variety of different ways, but may only be hardened by cold working. aluminium 1100 is the softest form of aluminium and therefore is not used for high-strength or high-pressure applications. Pure aluminium is able to be hot worked or cold worked, and is forged anywhere from 700 to 950 degrees F. Aside from forging, it is shaped by spinning, stamping and drawing.

These process produce aluminium shapes in the form of foil, plates, round bars or rods, metal sheets, strips and wire. Resistance welding is possible, but may take many tries to obtain good results. It has 55% the electrical conductivity of copper.

Principal Design Features
This is a relatively low strength, essentially pure aluminium, alloy. It is noted for excellent welding characteristics and formability along with good corrosion resistance. It cannot be hardened by heat treatment.

Applications
Commonly used in the manufacture of chemical equipment and railroad tank cars.

Machinability
The machinability of AL 1060 is fair to poor, especially in the soft temper conditions. In the harder (cold worked) tempers such as H16 and H18 the machining characteristics are improved. Either carbide or high-speed steel tooling may be used and use of lubricants is recommended, although some cutting may be done dry.

Forming
This alloy has excellent forming capability by cold or hot working with commercial techniques.

Welding
AL 1060 may be welded by standard commercial methods. If filler rod is required it should be of AL 1060. A precaution should be noted for the use of resistance welding as by this method some trial and error experimentation may be required to obtain good results.

Heat Treatment
This alloy does not harden by heat treatment. It may be annealed after cold working. See "Annealing".

Forging
This alloy may be forged in the temperature range of 950 to 700 F.

Hot Working
Hot working, if required, may be done in the range of 900 to 500 F.

Cold Working
The cold working characteristics of AL 1060 are excellent. It can readily be cold worked by all conventional methods.

Annealing
Annealing may be done at 650 F followed by air cooling.

Hardening
The alloy hardens only from cold working. Tempers H12, H14, H16, H18 are determined by the amount of cold working imparted into the alloy.

Other Physical Props
Electrical conductivity 55% of copper.

Other Mechanical Props
Shear strength of annealed (O temper) is 7 ksi. For H14 temper it is 9 ksi and for H18 temper 11 ksi.

Chemical Composition