Yield Strength of Aluminum Alloys

Lightweight aluminum alloys are increasingly finding their way into more load-carrying applications. Yield strength is one of the fundamental mechanical properties to decide on such applications. Aluminum die casting alloys often feature significantly high values to enable them for load carriage.

This article briefly focuses on aluminum yield strength while listing the values for different alloys.

What is the Yield Strength of Aluminum?

From an engineering point of view, yield strength marks the maximum stress after which plastic or permanent deformation will occur. In simple words, yield strength refers to the maximum applicable load to a material. Exceeding the load will cause permanent changes to the material’s shape/size.

Yield strength is a unique and crucial mechanical property of engineering materials. Anything considered for high-strength application must be evaluated to have a satisfactory value. The numerical value is highly susceptible to material composition, varying significantly from material to material.

An aluminum alloy’s yield strength denotes the optimum stress level that can be safely applied to that alloy with no permanent deformation/change. Stress is the load applied to a unit area of a material (Al alloy). Furthermore, each alloy shows a distinctive numerical value for aluminum yield strength.

Why Aluminum Yield Strength is Important?

Pure Al (at least 99% purity) exhibits 30 MPa or 4 ksi yield strength at room temperatures. But some high-strength aluminum alloys can provide as much as 425+ MPa. Pure metal can’t withstand much load, so its alloys are the preferred choice for utilizing aluminum’s elemental benefits.

Yield strength determines the alloy’s capability to withstand pressure, force, or load up to a limit. So, structural stability or mechanical strength is understood through yield strength. More yield strength value means more load-carrying capacity without causing permanent structural damage.

Yield Strength of Different Aluminum Alloys

The standard numerical value of common aluminum die casting alloys are tabulated as follows –

Yield strength is dependent on temperature. So, the values will vary based on the working temperatures.

1 ksi = 1000 psi (lb/in²) = 6894.8 x 10³ Pa (N/m²) = 6.89476 MPa

H = Non heat-treatable (cold-worked or strain-hardened)

T = Thermally treated/heat-treated

T3 = Solution heat-treated (cold-worked with natural aging)

T4 = Solution heat-treated (natural aging)

T5 = Cooled from elevated temperature (artificial aging)

T6 = Solution heat-treated (artificial aging)

T7 = Solution heat-treated (over-aging and stabilized)

Aluminum Alloy Yield Strength Applications

The most obvious use of aluminum yield strength concerns high-strength engineering works. Less yield strength doesn’t necessarily mean inferior quality or performance. Alloys with lower values also serve many crucial purposes across various industries.

Engineers have to take yield strength under consideration for construction or high-load works. Stronger alloys not only serve those requirements but also reduce cost and complexity. A more balanced strength with other mechanical properties is desirable.

Sunrise Metal is a top-tier aluminum die casting alloy manufacturer with over a decade of experience. It guarantees the exact yield strength required for specified aluminum projects. Contact us without a doubt to get suggestions from our experts.