The alloys may be classified: (1) as cast and wrought, and (2) as heat-treatable and non-heat-treatable. Wrought alloys can be worked mechanically by such processes as rolling, extruding, drawing, or forging. Alloys are heat-treatable if the dissolved constituents are less soluble in the solid state at ordinary temperatures than at elevated temperatures, thereby making age-hardening possible. When heat-treated to obtain complete solution, the product may be unstable and tend to age spontaneously.
It may also be treated to produce stable tempers of varying degree. Cold working or strain hardening is also possible, and combinations of tempering and strain hardening can also be obtained.
Because of these various possible combinations, a system of letter and number designations has been worked out by the producers of aluminum and aluminum alloys to indicate the compositions and the tempers of the various metals. Wrought alloys are designated by a four-digit index system. 1xxx is for 99.00% aluminum minimum. The last two digits indicate the minimum aluminum percentage. The second digit represents impurity limits. (EC is a special designation for electrical conductors.) 2xxx to 8xxx represent alloy groups in which the first number indicates the principal alloying constituent, and the last two digits are identifying numbers in the group. The second digit indicates modification of the basic alloy. The alloy groups are listed in Table 4.20.
For cast alloys, a similar designation system is used. The first two digits identify the alloy or its purity. The last digit, preceded by a decimal point, indicates the form of the material; for example, casting or ingot. Casting alloys may be sand or permanent-mold alloys.
Among the wrought alloys, the letter F, O, H, W, and T indicate various basic temper designations. These letters in turn may be followed by numerals to indicate various degrees of treatment. Temper designations are summarized in Table 4.21.
The structural alloys general employed in building fall in the 2xxx, 5xxx, and 6xxx categories. Architectural alloys often used include 3xxx, 5xxx, and 6xxx groups.
