Cold working 5052 aluminum sheet Hard Temper in Building Material

Description of aluminum alloy 5052:

1. Forging

Aluminium / Aluminum 5052 alloy can be forged from 510°C (950°F) down to 260°C (500°F).

2. Hot / Cold Working

Aluminium / Aluminum 5052 alloy can be hot worked easily from 510°C (950°F) down to 260°C (500°F), but aluminum 5052 alloy is easy to cold work. It can be formed by spinning and drawing. Depending on the extent of spinning, annealing may be required intermediately.

3. Annealing

Aluminium / Aluminum 5052 alloy can be annealed at 343°C (650°F) and then air cooled.

4.Hardening

Aluminium / Aluminum 5052 alloy can be hardened by cold working only.

Main Chemical Composition of 5052 aluminum sheet:

• Mg 2.2% - 2.8%

• Cr 0.15% -0.35%

Features of 5052:

1. Corrosion resistence: the magnesium content is low enough that it does not suffer from the stress corrosion cracking that can affect alloys, which leads to being widely used in marine environments, food and architectural applications.

2. Maching: machinability of the soft temper and H32 is poor, with the harder tempers such as H34 being easier to machine.

3. Welding: excellent weldability by all standard methods; gas, electric and resistance welding. GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding) and GTAW (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) are widely used to produce structural welds. Welding of strain hardened tempers will reduce strengths in the heat affected zones.

4. Heat treatment: Alloy 5052 is not hardenable by heat treatment. It can be significantly hardened by cold work to get various “H” tempers.

Possible Alternative Alloys:

1. 5052 is brighter appearance required than 3003, particularly when considering treadplate

2. Bright and anodising finish is required, 5052 might be chosen instead of 5005.

3. Higher strength or improved corrosion resistance required, particularly for ship hull applications, 5052 will be a better choice not 5083.

Application:

• Trailers and tool boxes
• Building panels or facide
• Barine craft
• Food equipment
• Kitchen Cabinets
• Industrial flooring
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