Aluminum used in industry generally refers to aluminum alloys, which come in many different types. A2017 is one of them, and it has excellent industrial properties and is widely used. This article introduces an overview of A2017 and its characteristics.
What is A2017?
A2017 is widely known as “hard aluminum alloy” and is a type of aluminum alloy. Copper and magnesium are added to aluminum, and each alloy contains 3.5-4.5% copper and 0.40-0.80% magnesium. Aluminum is a lightweight metal, but its disadvantage is low strength. The hardness of pure aluminum is about 65HB. However, A2017 contains copper, and the hardness is increased to 105HB.
Depending on the use environment, the strength of aluminum alloy can be comparable to that of steel. In addition, A2017 has the characteristics of lightweight, high strength, and easy processing. Therefore, it is widely used as a material for aircraft and mechanical parts.
Features of A2017
The following is an introduction to the machinability and advantages and disadvantages of A2017.
Machinability of A2017
- Excellent machinability
- Poor weldability
- Can be used as a forging material
- Can be processed by cutting, forging, and other processes
A2017 has good machinability and machinability due to the addition of magnesium and is a material suitable for cutting. It is also suitable for heat treatment and forging.
Advantages of A2017
- Lightweight compared to carbon steel
- High strength compared to other aluminum materials
The specific gravity of A2017 is 2.79, which is much lower than 7.8 for carbon steel. One of the main advantages of metal materials with lightweight aluminum is that the main body is lightweight. As mentioned above, the addition of copper can increase the strength of the metal, which is 1.6 times that of pure aluminum.
Disadvantages of A2017
- Poor weldability
- Low corrosion resistance
Because aluminum originally generates an oxide film and has a high thermal conductivity, it is not a very suitable welding material. A2017 is also a material with low weldability. The oxide film formed on the surface has a higher melting point than the base material, so it needs to be removed in advance. In addition, the base material easily dissipates heat, which leads to an unstable welding process. Another disadvantage is that its corrosion resistance is not as good as aluminum due to the addition of copper.
When used in a corrosive environment, sufficient anti-corrosion treatment is required. Because hard aluminum alloys are more difficult to anodize than general-purpose aluminum and pure aluminum, care must be taken when improving corrosion resistance through anodizing.
A2017 Plate Thickness and Standard Dimensions
The standard dimensions of A2017 plate thickness are specified in JIS H 4000:2014 and other standards. However, some material manufacturers do not manufacture and process all base materials of JIS standard dimensions. On the contrary, some material manufacturers manufacture and process base materials other than JIS standard dimensions (non-standard).
Therefore, please confirm the specific dimensions of A2017 materials from the manufacturer’s product catalog and other materials.
Applications of A2017
Due to its lightweight and high strength, A2017 is widely used in various fields. Typical examples include:
- Parts of aircraft and rockets
- Materials for ships
- Mechanical parts such as hydraulic devices and gears
- Suitcases represented by briefcases
- Connecting parts such as screws and rivets
- Window frames of houses
- Frames of tents and outdoor seats
A2017 was once a material used to make airship frames. Later, it was also used in aircraft and other purposes, especially fighter jets, and the demand for it increased significantly. Today, this material is used not only in aircraft, but also in our daily lives, such as window frames and suitcases.
Differences between A2017 and other Materials
In addition to A2017, there are other hard aluminum alloys called super hard aluminum alloys such as A2024, and super hard aluminum alloys such as A7075. The following introduces the differences between A2017 and other hard aluminum alloys, as well as other materials such as general aluminum.
Differences between Super Hard Aluminum Alloys and Super Hard Aluminum Alloys
The aluminum alloys called hard aluminum alloys include three types: A2017 (hard aluminum alloy), A2024 (super hard aluminum alloy), and A7075 (super hard aluminum alloy). The specific gravity of these three hard aluminum alloys is about 2.79 to 2.8, and the difference is not big, but there are differences in strength and performance. Compared with A2017, A2024 has a higher content of copper and magnesium and has higher strength. On the contrary, due to the increase in copper content, the corrosion resistance is slightly worse.
A7075 is an aluminum alloy that adds magnesium and zinc in addition to copper. It has the highest strength among all hard aluminum alloys. However, it also has some disadvantages compared to A2017, such as high difficulty in cutting and stress corrosion cracking.
Differences from A5052
A5052 is the most common aluminum alloy in the zinc-containing series. It is also called general aluminum. If there is no specific reference to hard aluminum alloys and pure aluminum, A5052 is generally used when talking about “aluminum”. A5052 has excellent characteristics such as lightweight and machinability but has low strength. On the other hand, since it does not contain copper, it has better corrosion resistance than A2017 and is easier to anodize than hard aluminum.
Differences from Stainless Steel and Iron
The biggest difference between A2017 and metal materials such as stainless steel and iron is in specific gravity. Compared with stainless steel and iron, the specific gravity of A2017 is less than half of them. For this reason, especially in recent years, the number of parts using A2017 has gradually increased to achieve the purpose of lightweight. However, in terms of strength and weldability, A2017 is not as good as stainless steel and iron, so it must be used or processed with caution.
In Conclusion
A2017 is a type of aluminum alloy, also known as “hard aluminum alloy”. Because it is made of copper and magnesium, it is a lightweight, high-strength metal that can be used in areas such as aircraft and mechanical parts. A2017 has the advantages of being lightweight, high-strength, and good processability, but also has the disadvantages of poor corrosion resistance and lower strength than steel.
The hard aluminum series also includes super-hard aluminum alloys and super-hard aluminum alloys, which have higher strength characteristics than A2017.
