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In the world of advanced engineering and high-performance materials, AMS 4173 aluminum alloy stands out as a versatile and highly valued option. Known for its exceptional balance of strength, durability, and corrosion resistance, this alloy is a staple in industries ranging from aerospace to defense. But what exactly makes AMS 4173 so special? From its precise chemical composition to its impressive mechanical properties, understanding the unique characteristics of this aluminum alloy can provide invaluable insights for engineers, material scientists, and industry professionals alike. This article delves into the intricate details of AMS 4173, exploring its composition, various temper types, and the wide array of applications where it excels. Whether you’re seeking material for high-stress environments or looking to optimize performance in cutting-edge technology, the comprehensive information provided here will equip you with the knowledge to make informed decisions. Join us as we uncover the remarkable attributes of AMS 4173 aluminum alloy and discover why it remains a preferred choice in demanding applications.
AMS 4173 specifies aluminum alloy 6061 in the form of extrusions, recognized for its versatility and balanced properties. This alloy is widely utilized across various industries due to its excellent mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and weldability, making it ideal for applications that require a combination of strength, lightweight, and ease of fabrication.
In aerospace, AMS 4173 aluminum alloy is crucial because of its high strength-to-weight ratio and superior corrosion resistance. These characteristics make it perfect for manufacturing aircraft structures and components that must endure demanding conditions while maintaining structural integrity.
The defense industry also benefits from AMS 4173 aluminum alloy. Its durability and performance under stress render it suitable for military applications, including armored vehicles and missile components. The alloy’s ease of machining and welding further enhances its appeal for precision engineering in defense technologies.
Beyond aerospace and defense, AMS 4173 aluminum alloy is extensively used in high-tech industries such as automotive, marine, and electronics. Its excellent thermal conductivity and machinability make it ideal for producing heat exchangers, electronic housings, and complex industrial machinery.
AMS 4173 aluminum alloy offers good tensile and yield strength, which can be enhanced through tempering. Additionally, its corrosion resistance, particularly in marine environments, ensures longevity and performance in challenging conditions.
AMS 4173 aluminum alloy, specified for 6061 extrusions, is a versatile material employed in a wide array of applications. Its combination of strength, durability, and ease of fabrication makes it essential in critical industries.
The AMS 4173 aluminum alloy, particularly in the 6061-T6511 temper, is made up of a balanced mix of several chemical elements. Each element contributes to the overall properties of the alloy, enhancing its strength, corrosion resistance, and workability.
Silicon content in AMS 4173 ranges from 0.40% to 0.80%. Silicon is added to enhance strength, castability, and corrosion resistance.
Iron, up to 0.70%, boosts strength but too much can reduce ductility and corrosion resistance.
Copper content ranges from 0.15% to 0.40%. Copper increases strength and hardness, especially post-heat treatment. However, it can slightly reduce corrosion resistance.
Manganese is kept at a maximum of 0.15%. It helps in increasing strength and hardness by refining grain structures, enhancing toughness.
Magnesium content ranges from 0.80% to 1.20%. Magnesium greatly boosts strength through solid solution strengthening, while also improving its corrosion resistance.
Chromium is present in amounts ranging from 0.04% to 0.35%. It controls grain structure and prevents harmful grain boundary precipitates, thus enhancing the alloy’s toughness and stress corrosion cracking resistance.
Zinc, limited to 0.25%, can improve strength but too much can reduce ductility and corrosion resistance.
Titanium, up to 0.15%, refines grain structure, improving mechanical properties and toughness.
Other elements, present in trace amounts (each ≤ 0.05%, total ≤ 0.15%), are controlled to maintain the alloy’s desired properties.
This carefully balanced composition ensures AMS 4173 aluminum alloy offers a unique combination of strength, corrosion resistance, and workability, making it ideal for various industrial applications.
AMS 4173 aluminum alloy is known for its lightweight nature, with a density of approximately 2.70 g/cm³. This characteristic is essential for industries such as aerospace and automotive, where reducing weight without sacrificing strength is crucial.
The melting point of AMS 4173 aluminum alloy ranges from 580°C to 650°C, enabling effective processing methods like casting and extrusion. This versatility allows manufacturers to tailor the alloy for various applications.
With a thermal expansion coefficient of 23.4 x 10^-6 /°C, the alloy expands or contracts with temperature changes, making it suitable for varying thermal conditions. This property is vital for components that experience fluctuating temperatures.
Boasting a thermal conductivity of 166 W/m·K, AMS 4173 efficiently dissipates heat, making it ideal for use in heat exchangers and electronic housings. This high level of conductivity ensures optimal performance in thermal management applications.
The alloy’s low electrical resistivity of about 0.040 x 10^-6 Ω·m makes it perfect for applications requiring efficient current flow. This characteristic is essential in electrical and electronic components where minimizing energy loss is a priority.
AMS 4173 aluminum alloy has a modulus of elasticity of around 68.3 GPa, indicating its stiffness and suitability for structural applications that demand minimal deformation under load. This property ensures that components maintain their shape and integrity even under stress.
AMS 4173 aluminum alloy, particularly in the 6061-T6511 temper, boasts impressive mechanical properties, making it ideal for applications that demand durability and stress resistance.
AMS 4173 aluminum alloy demonstrates notable tensile and yield strength. The tensile strength ranges from 42 ksi (290 MPa) to 45 ksi (310 MPa), while the yield strength varies between 35 ksi (241 MPa) and 40 ksi (276 MPa). These properties are crucial for applications requiring significant stress endurance without permanent deformation.
Elongation measures how much the material can stretch before breaking. AMS 4173 aluminum alloy has an elongation range of 8% to 10%, indicating good flexibility and toughness.
The hardness and shear strength of AMS 4173 aluminum alloy contribute to its resistance to wear and shearing forces. It has a Brinell hardness of around 95 and a shear strength of about 30 ksi (207 MPa), ensuring durability under stress.
The modulus of elasticity, or stiffness, of AMS 4173 aluminum alloy is approximately 70 GPa (10,153 ksi). This high modulus ensures the material maintains its shape under significant loads, making it suitable for structural applications.
AMS 4173 aluminum alloy offers good impact resistance, allowing it to absorb and dissipate energy from sudden loads without breaking. Additionally, its excellent fatigue strength makes it suitable for applications with repeated loading cycles.
In summary, AMS 4173 aluminum alloy provides a balanced set of mechanical properties, including high tensile and yield strength, good elongation, and impressive hardness and shear strength. Its stiffness, impact resistance, and fatigue strength make it ideal for demanding applications across various industries.
AMS 4173 aluminum alloy, particularly the 6061 series, is available in various temper types that enhance its mechanical properties. Each temper involves specific treatments to achieve the desired balance of strength, ductility, and corrosion resistance.
The T6 temper undergoes solution heat treatment, followed by quenching and artificial aging, which significantly improves its strength and corrosion resistance. This temper provides a balance of mechanical strength and workability, making it suitable for a wide range of applications, including aerospace and automotive parts.
The T4 temper involves solution heat treatment and natural aging, offering moderate strength and excellent formability. The T4511 variant adds a stress-relief step through stretching, enhancing shape retention for precision components. This makes the T4511 temper particularly useful for parts that need to maintain tight dimensional tolerances.
The T6511 temper includes solution heat treatment, quenching, artificial aging, and a stress-relief stretching process. This combination ensures high strength and minimal warping, making it ideal for extruded products such as bars, rods, and profiles that need to maintain their shape under load.
Choosing the appropriate temper type for AMS 4173 aluminum alloy is crucial for maximizing performance and durability in various applications.
AMS 4173 aluminum alloy is a top choice in the aerospace industry for its high strength-to-weight ratio and excellent corrosion resistance. These properties are crucial for manufacturing aircraft structures and components that must endure extreme conditions while maintaining structural integrity, including frames, wings, and fuselages.
The defense sector values AMS 4173 aluminum alloy for its durability and stress performance. Common uses include armored vehicles, missile components, and other military hardware, where precision engineering ensures reliability and performance in demanding environments.
The automotive industry benefits from AMS 4173 aluminum alloy’s strength and lightweight properties. Its good thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance make it ideal for engine parts, heat exchangers, and other components exposed to high temperatures and harsh conditions.
AMS 4173 aluminum alloy’s excellent corrosion resistance in marine environments makes it perfect for yacht construction, boat hulls, and other marine components. Its ability to withstand saltwater corrosion ensures longevity and reliability, reducing maintenance costs and extending the lifespan of marine vessels.
High-tech industries use AMS 4173 aluminum alloy for its thermal and electrical conductivity. It is ideal for heat exchangers, electronic housings, and semiconductor components, with its machinability and formability allowing for intricate part production.
AMS 4173 aluminum alloy’s balanced mechanical properties make it popular in structural and general engineering applications. It is used in constructing bridges, buildings, and other infrastructure where strength, durability, and lightweight are essential, as well as in pipelines and pressure vessels.
The alloy’s strength and lightweight properties also make it popular for recreational equipment like bicycle frames, camping gear, and sports gear. Its ability to withstand stress and resist corrosion ensures durability and reliability under various conditions.
AMS 4173 aluminum alloy’s versatility makes it ideal for various applications across industries, thanks to its high strength, excellent corrosion resistance, and good machinability. These qualities ensure it meets the demands of aerospace, defense, automotive, marine, high-tech, structural, and recreational applications.
Below are answers to some frequently asked questions:
The chemical composition of AMS 4173 aluminum alloy includes the following elements and their respective percentages: Aluminum (Al) as the balance (approximately 98.9%), Silicon (Si) 0.40 – 0.80%, Iron (Fe) maximum 0.70%, Copper (Cu) 0.15 – 0.40%, Manganese (Mn) maximum 0.15%, Magnesium (Mg) 0.80 – 1.20%, Chromium (Cr) 0.04 – 0.35%, Zinc (Zn) maximum 0.25%, Titanium (Ti) maximum 0.15%, and other elements each at a maximum of 0.05%, with a total of 0.15% maximum.
The physical properties of AMS 4173 aluminum alloy include a density of approximately 2.70 g/cm³, a melting point ranging from 580 to 650°C, a thermal expansion coefficient of 23.4 x 10^-6 /°C, and a thermal conductivity of 166 W/m·K. These characteristics contribute to its suitability for various applications, particularly in high-tech and aerospace industries.
AMS 4173 aluminum alloy exhibits varying mechanical properties depending on its temper. For T6 temper, the yield strength ranges from 35 to 40 ksi (240 to 276 MPa), the tensile strength is between 38 to 45 ksi (260 to 310 MPa), and elongation is 8-10%. For T4 temper, the yield strength is around 21 ksi (145 MPa), tensile strength is 35 ksi (241 MPa), and elongation is 25%. T4511 and T6511 tempers generally show similar properties to T4 and T6, respectively, but with specific differences due to additional stress-relief processes.
The AMS 4173 aluminum alloy, also known as 6061-T6511, is commonly used in various applications due to its excellent mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and weldability. Key applications include aircraft structures, yacht construction, automotive and truck bodies, bicycle frames, screw machine parts, and engineering and structural components. It is also utilized in rail coaches, the marine industry, architectural applications like residential railings and curtain walls, as well as in display systems and auto components. Its versatility is further enhanced by its availability in various extruded shapes, making it suitable for a wide range of industrial and commercial uses.
The temper types available for AMS 4173 aluminum alloy include O (Soft), T4, T42, T4510, T4511, T6, T62, T6510, and T6511. Each temper offers different characteristics, with T4 and its variants providing good formability and moderate strength, while T6 and its variants offer higher strength but reduced formability. T6511 is one of the most commonly used tempers, balancing strength and workability.
AMS 4173 aluminum alloy, specified as 6061 in the T6511 temper, stands out among other aluminum alloys due to its balanced combination of properties. It offers superior corrosion resistance compared to high-strength alloys like 2024, 7050, and 7075, making it ideal for applications requiring durability in harsh environments. Its mechanical properties, including a yield strength of 35 ksi and tensile strength of 42 ksi, provide a good balance of strength and ductility, which is slightly higher than alloys such as 6063 but more consistent than broader-range alloys like QQ-A-200/8. Furthermore, AMS 4173 exhibits excellent weldability and fair machinability, making it versatile for aerospace, defense, and high-tech applications. Its superior corrosion resistance and balanced mechanical properties make it a preferred choice for a wide range of industrial uses.
