Subject: Re: What is aircraft aluminum

From: "John R. Johnson" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 08:34:45 -0600

Paul, 
Steels commonly used in aircraft work are 1020 and 4130.  A good
knifemaker will usually pass 1020 for one with a few points more
carbon!  As with "aircraft" aluminum, so with "aircraft" steel.

John

On 4 Dec 1996, Paul Amaranth wrote:

> In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] writes:
> >In article <[email-masked]>, Les says...
> >>
> >>The other day, I saw an ad on TV pitching a well known brand of
> >>flashlights made of aircraft aluminum.  The more I think about it,
> >>the more I think the name of this metal is becoming just another
> >>buzz-word.  But, just in case....  Is aircraft aluminum a specific
> >>alloy?
> >>
> >> - les
> >
> >Yes, its a buzzword. Airplanes are usually made from  3003, 5052,
> >6061, 2024, 7075. 
> 
> I have a friend who has patented a little do-hicky that needs a sharp
> cutting edge.  She took the design around to some shops and somebody
> told her it needed to be made out of 'aircraft steel' (that was before
> I was aware of it).  It looks like a decent tool steel would have 
> the properties she needs, but now she's fixated on that expensive
> 'aircraft steel'.
> 
> No wonder Madison Avenue does so well.
> 
> -- 
> Paul Amaranth          Tel: (810) 656-5975      Fax: (810) 656-6836
> Aurora Group, Inc.     Rochester MI, USA    http://www.rust.net/auroragroup
> [email-masked]          Consulting & Data Conversion Services
> 
> 
>

---

From: [email-masked] (Kevin AstirCS "1U" KO0B)
Date: Mon, 02 Dec 1996 13:01:12 -0800 (PST)

Just marketing.  Like "space-age engineering synthetics" (cheap
plastic)....Not too many sales would be generated by advertising that
it was made from lawn-chair-aluminum.

Lots of Al alloys are used in aircraft, 6061 and 7075 being very
common in sheet metal & machined parts, and you-name-it in the
castings & extrusions. (you heard it from a Grob owner!)

Kevin "Hoping that landing-gear casting was good stuff" Ferguson

---

From: [email-masked] (darylb)
Date: 2 Dec 1996 22:02:26 GMT

> Yes, its a buzzword. Airplanes are usually made from  3003, 5052,

Each of which has very different properties I might add!

Daryl

-- 
- Clouds are high flying fogs.
- ³...ethidium bromide is a potent mutagen and carcinogen, and
the Merck index lists it as having a somewhat bitter taste²
- All waste ultimately becomes food.

---

From: James Askew <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 02 Dec 1996 21:01:15 -0800

> Kevin "Hoping that landing-gear casting was good stuff" Ferguson

Maybe it was made from a melted down B-17. :)

jim

---

From: [email-masked] (JD)
Date: Tue, 03 Dec 96 12:37:35 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
   [email-masked] (George Carlson) wrote:
snip-

>I think you would find almost any aluminum alloy somewhere on an
>aircraft.  I believe the alloys usually refered to aircraft aluminum
>are 2024 and 7075.  These are high strenght alloys, but, neither one
>anodizes very well.  My choice for a flashlight housing would be 6061.
>
>George Carlson   KC5RCC
>Geotek Design Services
>[email-masked]
>

Since 6061 is about 1/4 the price of 7075, it would be my choice for a 
flashlight too.

---

From: [email-masked] (JD)
Date: Sun, 08 Dec 96 14:54:34 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
   [email-masked] (Andy Dingley) wrote:
>The moving finger of [email-masked] (George Carlson) having
>written:
>
>>My choice for a flashlight housing would be 6061.
>
>OK, I admit it - I've been out-geeked. I _hate_ it when people are
>talking about something and I finally have to admit that it's
>completely over my head.
>
>Just what the hell are all the metal alloy numbers, who defines them,
>and what book do I need to put on the bookshelf so that I can
>understand what on earth is going on here ?  What's the best guidebook
>for alloys that I'm likely to buy from either my metal stockist or my
>favourite scrappie, and that I'm likely to have a use for ?
>
>

I've got a little handbook which explains a lot of this, not in great
detail, but enough to give you an idea of what alloy and temper designations
mean. It's Light Alloys by I J Polmear (published by ASM) 

You can also find all this information in the Marks handbook, which should
be considered required reading for anyone doing anything.

JD

---

From: [email-masked] (Andy Dingley)
Date: Sun, 08 Dec 1996 11:30:02 GMT

--
Richard, I bet you're reading this. Yes, it is a shameful admission.

---

From: "Les Whitaker" <[email-masked]>
Date: 9 Dec 1996 22:43:27 GMT

After 29 yrs in McDonnell Aircraft's R&D shops, I can only say the term
"aircraft aluminum" is akin to saying "Car Steel". There are many different
alloys of aluminum used on the aircraft I am familiar with: Phantom, F-15,
etc. 2024 is used for the skin, mainly. Although not exclusively. 6061T6 is
another favorite of the engineer types who dream this stuff up. There are
others, of course.

Les Whitaker

Les Bartel <"(email me at) lbartel"@veribest.com> wrote in article
<[email-masked]>...

---

From: Frank Scott <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 09 Dec 1996 20:42:34

In article: <[email-masked]>  [email-masked] 
(Andy Dingley) writes:
> Snip

In the UK  a good book on properties of materials is

	Newnes Engineering Materials Pocket Book
by W. Bolton, Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd  ISBN 0 7506 18140
price 12.95UKP

This gives UK & US designations and material properties of
many engineering alloys of iron, steel, aluminium, copper,
magnesium, nickel and  titanium.

It's got sections on polymeric materials and ceramics as well!
 	 
-- 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Frank Scott  Sutton, London|
Web site: <http.frasco.demon.co.uk>
More than you'll want to know about my 6 legged robot
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---

From: [email-masked] (Steve Rayner)
Date: Tue, 10 Dec 1996 10:33:15 GMT

In a previous article, [email-masked] (Andy Dingley) says:

>net!uknet!dispatch.news.demon.net!demon!codesmth.demon.co.uk
>From: [email-masked] (Andy Dingley)
>Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
>Subject: Re: What is aircraft aluminum
>Date: Sun, 08 Dec 1996 11:30:02 GMT
>Organization: Codesmiths Software Development Ltd.
>Lines: 18
>Message-ID: <[email-masked]>
>References: <[email-masked]> <[email-masked]>
>Reply-To: [email-masked]
>NNTP-Posting-Host: codesmth.demon.co.uk
>X-NNTP-Posting-Host: codesmth.demon.co.uk
>X-Newsreader: Forte Agent .99e/32.227
>

Machinerys Handbook of course.  Most of the industrial books cost a fortune!
Then get a book, or photocopy of info on British alloys & compare 
ingredients.
-- 
Steve. 

******************Knowledge is wasted if it is not shared.*******************

---

From: [email-masked] (Paul Amaranth)
Date: 4 Dec 1996 08:51:16 -0500

---

From: [email-masked] (Steve Rayner)
Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 11:33:44 GMT

>It's got sections on polymeric materials and ceramics as well!

Now that's a good price!  The only book I could get a line on here costs
$500.00 Canadian!
-- 
Steve.