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Aluminium – Copper Alloys TRY FOR FREE

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Finding aluminum materials in the Total
Materia (page.aspx?ID=Home&LN=EN)
Copper has been the most common alloying element almost since the
database
beginning of the aluminum industry, and a variety of alloys in which
copper is the major addition were developed. The Total Materia (page.aspx?ID=Home&LN=EN)

In the cast alloys the basic structure consists of cored dendrites of database contains many thousands of aluminum
materials across a large range of countries and
aluminum solid solution, with a variety of constituents at the grain
standards.
boundaries or interdendritic spaces, forming a brittle, more or less
Where available, full property information can be
continuous network of eutectics. Wrought products consist of a matrix
viewed for materials including chemical
of aluminum solid solution with the other solible and insoluble
composition, mechanical properties, physical
constituents dispersed within it. properties, advanced property data and much
more.

Copper has been the most common alloying element almost since the Using the Advanced Search page, define the search
beginning of the aluminum industry, and a variety of alloys in which copper is criteria by selecting ‘Aluminum’ in the Group of
the major addition were developed. Most of these alloys fall within one of the Materials pop-up list. It maybe that you need to
following groups: further narrow the search criteria by using the other
fields in the Advanced Search page e.g.
Cast alloys with 5% Cu, often with small amounts of silicon and magnesium.
Country/Standard.
Cast alloys with 7-8% Cu, which often contain large amounts of iron and silicon and
appreciable amounts of manganese, chromium, zinc, tin, etc. Then click Submit

Cast alloys with 10-14% Cu. These alloys may contain small amounts of magnesium
(0.10-0.30% Mg), iron up to 1.5%, up to 5% Si and smaller amounts of nickel,
manganese, chromium.

Wrought alloys with 5-6% Cu and often small amounts of manganese, silicon, cadmium,
bismuth, tin, lithium, vanadium and zirconium. Alloys of this type containing lead,
bismuth, and cadmium have superior machinability.

Durals, whose basic composition is 4-4.5% Cu, 0.5-1.5% Mg, 0.5-1.0% Mn, sometimes
with silicon additions.
A list of materials will then be generated for you to
Copper alloys containing nickel, which can be subdivided in two groups: the Y alloy
choose from.
type, whose basic composition is 4% Cu, 2% Ni, 1.5% Mg; and the Hyduminiums, which
usually have lower copper contents and in which iron replaces 30me of the nickel.

In most of the alloys in this group aluminum is the primary constituent and in
the cast alloys the basic structure consists of cored dendrites of aluminum
solid solution, with a variety of constituents at the grain boundaries or
interdendritic spaces, forming a brittle, more or less continuous network of
eutectics.
Wrought products consist of a matrix of aluminum solid solution with the
other constituents dispersed within it. Constituents formed in the alloys can After clicking a material from the resulting list, a list
be divided in two groups: in the soluble ones are the constituents containing of subgroups derived from standard specifications
only one or more of copper, lithium, magnesium, silicon, zinc; in the insoluble appears.
ones are the constituents containing at least one of the more or less
From here it is possible to view specific property
insoluble iron, manganese, nickel, etc.
data for the selected material and also to view
The type of soluble constituents formed depends not only on the amount of similar and equivalent materials in our powerful
soluble elements available but also on their ratio. Available copper depends cross reference tables.
on the iron, manganese and nickel contents; the copper combined with them
is not available.

Copper forms (CuFe)Al6 and Cu2FeAl7, with iron, (CuFeMn)Al6 and

Cu2Mn3Al20 with manganese, Cu4NiAl, and several not too well known
compounds with nickel and iron. The amount of silicon available to some
extent controls the copper compounds formed. Silicon above 1% favors the
FeSiAl5, over the iron-copper compounds and (CuFeMn)3Si2Al15, over the
(CuFeMn)Al6 and Cu2Mn3Al20 compounds.

Similarly, but to a lesser extent, available silicon is affected by iron and

manganese contents. With the Cu:Mg ratio below 2 and the Mg:Si ratio well
above 1.7 the CuMg4Al6 compound is formed, especially if appreciable zinc is
present. When Cu:Mg > 2 and Mg:Si > 1.7, CuMgAl2 is formed. If the Mg:Si
ratio is approximately 1.7, Mg2Si and CuAl2 are in equilibrium. With the Mg:Si
ratio 1 or less, Cu2Mg8Si6Al5, is formed, usually together with CuAl2. When Click on the property data link of interest to you to

the copper exceeds 5%, commercial heat treatment cannot dissolve it and view specific property data.

the network of eutectics does not break up. Thus, in the 10-15% Cu alloys
there is little difference in structure between the as-cast and heat treated
alloys.

Magnesium is usually combined with silicon and copper. Only if appreciable

amounts of lead, bismuth or tin are present, Mg2Sn, Mg2Pb, Mg2Bi3 can be
formed.

The effect of alloying elements on density and thermal expansion is additive;

thus, densities range from 2 700 to 2 850 kg/m3, with the lower values for the
high-magnesium, high-silicon and low-copper alloys, the higher for the high-
copper, high-nickel, high-manganese and high-iron contents.

Expansion coefficients are of the order of 21-24 x 10-6 1/K for the 300-4000 K
range and 23-26 x 10-6 1/K for the 300-700 K range, with the higher values for
the high-magnesium, low-copper and low-silicon alloys, the lower ones for
the higher silicon and higher copper contents. At subzero temperatures the
coefficient decreases practically in the same way as that of pure aluminum.
However, release of casting stresses or precipitation and solution of copper For you’re a chance to take a test drive of the Total
and magnesium produce changes in length of up to 0.2%, which may affect Materia (page.aspx?ID=Home&LN=EN) database, we
the dimensional accuracy of parts exposed to high temperature. Subzero
invite you to join a community of over 150,000
treatment of castings to reduce warpage has been recommended.
registered users through the Total Materia Free
Specific heat of the commercial alloys is practically the same as for the binary Demo. (page.aspx?ID=Register&LN=EN)
aluminum-copper. Thermal conductivity is little affected by alloying elements
other than copper: for the commercial alloys with 4-12% Cu, < 4% other
elements, it is approximately 70% of that of pure aluminum at room
temperature, some 75-80% at 600 K and 30-35% at 200 K.

Electric conductivity is very sensitive to copper in solution, and to a much

lesser extent to magnesium and zinc, but is little affected by alloying
elements out of solution. In an alloy with 5% Cu in solution the conductivity is
approximately half that of pure aluminum (30-33% IACS), but in the annealed
state an alloy with 12% Cu and up to 5% other elements has a conductivity of
37-42% IACS, only 25-30% lower than that of pure aluminum.

The mechanical properties of the alloys vary over an extremely wide range,
from those of the sand cast 8% Cu alloys, which are among the lowest in
aluminum alloys, to those of durals or wrought 5% Cu alloys, which may
reach values of up to 650 MPa.

Higher purity, special compositions, fabricating techniques or heat

treatments may produce higher properties. Porosity, poor feeding of
castings, excessive amounts of impurities, segregation and poor quality
control in fabrication may reduce the properties well below the determined
limits. Surface defects reduce the properties of castings more than internal
ones. Prestrain or elastic strain during testing have no effect on properties.
Ultrasonic vibration may reduce or increase them; and irradiation at
cryogenic temperatures may slightly increase strength. Dynamic loading may
produce strength and ductility values higher or lower, depending on the
speed, but not at high temperature. Temperatures below room temperature
increase strength and hardness, with some loss of ductility and a decrease in
anisotropy.

Correspondingly, exposure to temperatures above room temperature

eventually results in a decrease in strength and hardness with a decided
increase in elongation. Heat treatment has a substantial effect: if the alloys
are quenched from high temperature and only naturally aged, exposure to
temperatures in the range up to 500-600 K may produce a temporary
increase in hardness and strength due to artificial aging. Eventually this
increase disappears, the faster the higher the temperature, and the normal
decline sets in, as in alloys already aged to peak hardness. Prolonged heating
(for up to 2 years) results in appreciable softening at all temperatures. For
 intermediate exposure times this softening is less if the materials are
thermo-mechanically treated. In short-time tests fast heating to test
temperature increases the strength.

Impact resistance is low, as for all aluminum alloys: in the Charpy test values
range from a minimum of 2-3 x 104N/m for cast alloys with 7% Cu to a
maximum of 30-40 x 104N/m for wrought products in the naturally aged
temper. Notch sensitivity is usually low, especially in the wrought alloys, or in
the cast alloys heat treated to maximum ductility. The plane strain fracture
toughness ranges from 85 to 100% of the yield strength, depending on a
variety of factors. Both impact resistance and notch toughness increase with
increasing temperature, but the decrease with subzero temperatures is
limited. In the softer alloys at 70 K the difference is within error of testing;
only for the higher-strength alloys is the decrease appreciable.

Shear strength is of the order of 70-75% of tensile strength, even at high

temperature; bearing strength is approximately 1.5 of tensile; compressive
yield strength is 10-15% higher or lower than ultimate tensile strength.

Most alloying elements raise the modulus of elasticity of aluminum, but the
increase is not substantial: for the aluminum-copper alloys the modulus of
elasticity at room temperature is of the order of 70-75 GPa and practically the
same in tension and in compression. It changes regularly with temperature
from a value of 76-78 GPa at 70 K to a value of the order of 60 GPa at 500 K.
The change during aging is negligible for practical purposes. The Poisson
ratio is slightly lower and of the order of 0.32-0.34, and so is the
compressibility. The Poisson ratio increases with increasing temperature.

Many of the cast alloys and of the aluminum-copper-nickel alloys are used for
high-temperature applications, where creep resistance is important.
Resistance is the same whether the load is tensile or compressive.

Wear resistance is favored by high hardness and the presence of hard

constituents. Alloys with 10-15% Cu or treated to maximum hardness have
very high wear resistance.

Silicon increases the strength in cast alloys, mainly by increasing the

castability and thus the soundness of the castings, but with some loss of
ductility and fatigue resistance, especially when it changes the iron-bearing
compounds from FeM2SiAl8 or Cu2FeAl7, to FeSiAl5.

Magnesium increases the strength and hardness of the alloys, but, especially
in castings, with a decided decrease in ductility and impact resistance.

Iron has some beneficial strengthening effect, especially at high temperature

and at the lower contents (< 0.7% Fe).

Nickel has a strengthening effect, similar to that of manganese, although

more limited because it only acts to reduce the embrittling effect of iron.
Manganese and nickel together decrease the room-temperature properties
because they combine in aluminum-manganese-nickel compounds and
reduce the beneficial effects of each other. The main effect of-nickel is the
increase in high-temperature strength, fatigue and creep resistance.

Titanium is added as grain refiner and it is very effective in reducing the grain
size. If this results in a better dispersion of insoluble constituents, porosity
and nonmetallic inclusions, a decided improvement in mechanical properties
results.

Lithium has an effect very similar to that of magnesium: it increases strength,

especially after heat treatment and at high temperatures, and there is a
corresponding decrease in ductility. Zinc increases the strength but reduces
ductility.

Date Published: Apr-2003

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