Technical Data
Alloy Casting
3900 Peachtree Rd
Mesquite, TX 75180
1.800.527.1318
jonalloy@aol.com
Composition and Material
Aluminum Grades
Sizes
Finishes
Fabrication
Limitations
Physical and Chemical Properties
Welding
Maintenance
Composition and Material: Aluminum castings are made by the green sand mold method. Castings are cleaned by sand blasting and parting lines are cleaned and deburred.
Aluminum Grades: Aluminum Association alloys 319, 356,535 (al-mag), and 713 are available on a certified basis. Other alloys can be cast upon request. A standard blended alloy is available for non-critical, non-certified applications.
With our on site metallurgical engineer, several proprietary alloy blends have been developed for specific applications. Three malleable blends with increasing strength and decreasing bend ability are very popular. EC and EC5 are both very bendable and non structural. CA5 has some bending capability and is structurally sound. CA5 also has great polishing characteristics.
Sizes: Castings range from 1"x1"x1" (.1lb.) to 48"x48"x2" (350 lb.). Cores are used for horizontal holes and tight fit applications.
Finishes: The surface has an ``as cast" texture. The surface can be sanded, ground, and polished with different grits and wire sizes. Castings are readily painted and coated via:
- Flouropolymers
- Powder coats
- Paints
- Antiquing
Fabrication: Welding of castings together and/or with extrusions or plates into larger configurations can be handled by the foundry. Hole drilling and thread tapping are also available. Heat treating subcontractors are in the
Limitations: Caution should be used in coastal applications where salt spray can cause electrolysis between dissimilar metals. Proper choice of alloy and coating can retard this possibility. Most aluminum alloys provide poor plating and anodizing characteristics. Proper alloy selection can be a solution to this problem. Take offs for quantities on-site measurements, and installation are not practical for the foundry.
TABLE 1 - SAND CASTING - AS CAST STRUCTURE (F-Temper). ALLOY GRADE 319 356 535 713 tensile strength (1000psi) 23.0 19.0 35.0 32.0 yield strength 13.0 --- 18.0 22.0 Major Alloying Elements - normal % silicon % 6.0 7.0 --- --- copper % 3.5 --- --- --- magnesium % --- 0.3 7.0 --- zinc % --- --- --- 7.5 Characteristics (1 is best) corrosion resistance 3 2 1 3 machinability 3 3 1 1 polishing 2 2 1 4 weldability 2 2 4 4 cost 1 2 4 4 Other alloys available upon request. Information source: Aluminum Association Standards 13th Edition, 1992. Welding: Aluminum castings can be welded to other forms of aluminum (i.e. tubing, plate, sheet), but cannot be welded directly to steel. To overcome this restriction a steel tab or stub can be cast into aluminum, that insert can then be welded to steel.
Physical and Chemical Properties: Aluminum Association chemical specifications certified as needed for specific application. See Table 1
Maintenance: Surface maintenance requirements are determined by the coating manufacturer. Aluminum will not rust and with proper alloy selection and a coherent contract coating it will not corrode, even in a sea coast environment.