HEAT AND NON-HEAT

TREATMENT (PART 1)
 WROUGHT ALUMINUM ALLOYS:

• WROUGHT ALUMINUM ALLOY IS DIVIDED INTO

➢ NON-HEAT TREATABLE
➢ HEAT TREATABLE

• NON-HEAT TREATABLE ALUMINUM ARE HARDENED BY ALLOYING AND STRAIN HARDENING

• THE TERM “COLD-WORKED”, “WORKED HARDENED” AND “STRAIN HARDENED” REFER TO HARDENING
PROCESSES SUCH AS ROLLING, DRAWING, BENDING OR PRESSING.
• THESE ALLOYS CANNOT BE HARDENED BY HEAT TREATMENT.
• HEAT TREATABLE ALUMINUM ALLOYS THAT ARE WORKED HARDENED ARE DESIGNATED BY THE LETTER H
AND THE NUMBER 1, 2, OR 3.
 HEAT TREATMENT:

• HEAT TREATMENT CAN BE ANY ONE OF SEVERAL THERMAL PROCESSES USED IN METALS IN ORDER
TO DEVELOP THE DESIRED HARDNESS, SOFTNESS, DUCTILITY, TENSILE STRENGTH, OR GRAIN
STRUCTURE.
• THE TERM HEAT TREATMENT REFERS TO THE PROCESSES USED TO HARDEN OR STRENGTHEN THE
METALS.
• THE HARDENING OF METALS BY HEAT TREATMENT IS USUALLY THE RESULT OF ONE OF TWO
PHENOMENA
• SOME METALS ARE ALLOTROPIC THAT IS, THEIR LATTICE STRUCTURE WILL CHANGE AT ELEVATED
TEMPERATURE.
• BY USING CERTAIN ALLOYS AND THERMAL TREATMENT, A STRONGER INTERNAL STRUCTURE CAN BE
STABILIZED FOR USE AT NORMAL OPERATING TEMPERATURES. STEEL IS HARDENED THROUGH THIS
PROCESS.
• ALUMINUM IS NOT ALLOTROPIC.
• THE HARDENING OF ALUMINUM IS ACCOMPLISHED BY ALLOYING AN ELEMENT THAT IS SOLUBLE ONLY
AT HIGHER TEMPERATURE.
• AT LOWER TEMPERATURE, THE ALLOY PRECIPITATES AS A METALLIC, PRODUCING HARDENING EFFECTS.
 THERE ARE TWO (2) TYPES OF HEAT-TREATMENTS USED ON
ALUMINUM ALLOYS.

• SOLUTION HEAT-TREATMENT
SOLUTION TREATMENT IS A HEAT TREATING PROCESS THAT HEATS ALLOYS TO A SPECIFIC TEMPERATURE,
SUSTAINING THAT TEMPERATURE LONG ENOUGH TO CAUSE ONE OR MORE CONSTITUENTS TO ENTER
INTO A SOLID SOLUTION AND THEN RAPIDLY COOLED TO MAINTAIN THE SOLUTION'S PROPERTIES.
• PRECIPITATION HEAT-TREATMENT.
PRECIPITATION HARDENING IS A HEAT TREATMENT PROCESS USED TO INCREASE THE YIELD STRENGTH OF
MOST ALLOYS AND SOME STEELS AND STAINLESS STEELS. IT PROVIDES SUPERALLOYS WITH EXCELLENT
HIGH-TEMPERATURE STRENGTH.
 SOLUTION HEAT TREATMENT:

• WHEN ALUMINUM IS ALLOYED WITH MATERIALS SUCH AS COPPER, MAGNESIUM, OR ZINC, THE
RESULTANT ALLOY ARE MUCH STRONGER THAN ALUMINUM.
• TO UNDERSTAND WHY THIS HAPPENS, IT IS NECESSARY TO EXAMINE THE MICROSCOPIC
STRUCTURE OF ALUMINUM.
• PURE ALUMINUM HAS A MOLECULAR STRUCTURE THAT IS COMPOSED WEAKLY BONDED
ALUMINUM ATOMS AND, THEREFORE, IS EXTREMELY SOFT.
• ALUMINUM ALLOYS, ON THE OTHER HAND, CONSIST OF A BASE METAL OF ALUMINUM AND AN
ALLOYING ELEMENT THAT IS DISPERSED THROUGHOUT THE STRUCTURE.
 PRECIPITATION HEAT TREATMENT:

• PRECIPITATION HEAT TREATMENT IS THE MOST WIDELY USED TECHNIQUE TO ENHANCE THE YIELD
THE STRENGTH OF PLIABLE MATERIALS.
• IT ALSO PROVIDES REMARKABLE HIGH-TEMPERATURE STRENGTH TO SUCH MATERIALS.
• THE TREATMENT MAKES USE OF AGING OR HEATING ALLOYS AT EXTREMELY HIGH TEMPERATURES
IN ORDER TO PRODUCE A CONSTITUENT THAT CAN UNDERGO PRECIPITATION FROM A SOLID
SOLUTION.
• PRECIPITATION HEAT TREATMENT IS ALSO KNOWN AS PRECIPITATION HARDENING
• SOME ALLOYS, SUCH AS 2017 AND 2024 , DEVELOP THEIR FULL PROPERTIES AS A RESULT OF
SOLUTION HEAT-TREATMENT, FOLLOWED BY ABOUT FOUR (4) DAYS OF COOLING, OR AGING,
AT ROOM TEMPERATURE. HOWEVER, OTHER ALLOYS, SUCH AS 2014 AND 7075, REQUIRE
BOTH HEAT-TREATMENTS.
 HEAT TREATMENT OF TITANIUM:

• HEAT TREATMENT FOR TITANIUM IS POSSIBLE FOR SOME ALLOYS AND NOT FOR OTHERS.
• THE TEMPERATURE USED FOR HEAT TREATMENT OF TITANIUM RANGE FROM 1450 – 1850 DEGREE F
• AT THIS TEMPERATURE, THE ATMOSPHERE IN THE FURNACE SHOULD BE INERT TO PREVENT THE
MATERIAL FROM COMBINING WITH OXYGEN AND NITROGEN.
• ANNEALING OF TITANIUM ALLOY MUST BE ACCOMPLISHED ACCORDING TO THE SPECIFICATIONS FOR
THE PARTICULAR ALLOY BEING TREATED
• A TYPICAL ANNEALING PROCEDURE IS TO HEAT THE METAL TO 1350 DEGREE F AND SOAK IT AT THIS
TEMPERATURE FOR ONE HOUR
 HEAT TREATMENT OF MAGNESIUM ALLOY:

• MAGNESIUM ALLOYS MAY BE HEAT TREATED IN AS MUCH THE SAME MANNER AS THAT EMPLOYED
FOR ALUMINUM ALLOYS; HOWEVER, THE HEATING TIMES, SOAKING TIMES, AND COOLING RATES
WILL VARY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TYPE OF ALLOY.
• MAGNESIUM ALLOY CASTING ARE SOLUTION HEAT TREATED TO IMPROVE SUCH CHARACTERISTICS
AS TENSILE STRENGTH, DUCTILITY AND SHOCK RESISTANCE
• THE TEMPERATURE TO WHICH MAGNESIUM ALLOY ARE HEATED FOR HEAT TREATMENT ARE LESS THAN
THOSE USED FOR ALUMINUM ALLOYS, BEING IN A RANGE OF 730 TO 780 DEGREES F. THE ACTUAL
TEMPERATURE FOR HEAT TREATMENT DEPENDS UPON THE PARTICULAR ALLOY INVOLVED.
 HEAT TREATABLE ALUMINUM ALLOYS:

• HEAT-TREATABLE ALUMINUM ALLOYS ARE COMPARATIVELY SOFT WHEN FIRST REMOVED FROM A
QUENCH. WITH TIME, HOWEVER, THE METAL BECOMES HARD AND GAINS STRENGTH.
• WHEN AN ALLOY IS ALLOWED TO COOL AT ROOM TEMPERATURE, IT IS REFERRED TO AS NATURAL
AGING AND CAN TAKE SEVERAL HOURS OR SEVERAL WEEKS.
• FOR EXAMPLE, ALUMINUM ALLOYED WITH COPPER GAINS ABOUT 90% OF ITS STRENGTH IN THE
FIRST HALF-HOUR AFTER IT IS REMOVED FROM THE QUENCH, AND BECOMES FULLY HARD IN ABOUT
FOUR (4) TO FIVE (5) DAYS
• ALLOY AGING TIME CAN BE LENGTHENED, OR SHORTENED. FOR EXAMPLE, THE AGING PROCESS
CAN BE SLOWED BY STORING A METAL AS A SUBFREEZING TEMPERATURE IMMEDIATELY AFTER IT IS
REMOVED FROM THE QUENCH.
 ANNEALING:

• ANNEALING IS A PROCESS THAT SOFTENS A METAL AND DECREASES INTERNAL STRESS. IN GENERAL,
ANNEALING IS THE OPPOSITE OF HARDENING.
• ANNEALING WILL BE USED TO REFER TO PROCESSES USED FOR RE-CRYSTALLIZATION. A VARIETY OF
OTHER PROCESSES SUCH AS NORMALIZING, TEMPERING, STRESS RELIEVING, AND AGING WILL BE
CONSIDERED.
• ANNEALING OR RE-CRYSTALLIZATION IS ACCOMPLISHED BY HEATING THE METAL TO A
TEMPERATURE THAT ALLOWS NEW GRAIN FORMATION TO OCCUR
• A PERIOD OF SLOW COOLING ENHANCES THE NEW GRAIN OR CRYSTAL FORMATION ALONG
WITH THE NEW SET OF SLIP-PLANES, THEREFORE, RESTORING THE PRE-COLD-WORK PROPERTIES.
ALL METALS ARE AFFECTED BY COLD WORKING, AMD ALL METALS WILL RESPOND TO ANNEALING
TREATMENTS.
 ANNEALING ALUMINUM:

• ALUMINUM IS ANNEALED BY HEATING IT TO THE REQUIRED TEMPERATURE, ALLOWING IT TO

SOAK FOR THE TIME NECESSARY FOR RECRYSTALLIZATION TO OCCUR, AND COOLING THE
METAL SLOWLY
 ALUMINUM ALLOY TEMPERATURE DESIGNATIONS:
• TI COOLED FROM AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE SHAPING PROCESS AND NATURALLY AGED TO A
SUBSTANTIALLY STABLE CONDITIONS
• T2 COOLED FROM AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE SHAPING PROCESS, COLD WORKED AND NATURALLY
AGED TO A SUBSTANTIALLY STABLE CONDITION
• T3 SOLUTION HEAT TREATED, COLD WORKED AND NATURALLY AGED TO A SUBSTANTIALLY STABLE
CONDITION
• T4 SOLUTION HEAT TREATED AND NATURALLY AGED TO A SUBSTANTIALLY STABLE CONDITION.
• T5 COOLED FROM ELEVATED TEMPERATURE SHAPING PROCESS AND THEN ARTIFICIALLY AGED.
 ALUMINUM ALLOY TEMPERATURE DESIGNATIONS

• T6 SOLUTION HEAT TREATED AND THEN ARTIFICIALLY AGED

• T7 SOLUTION HEAT TREATED AND STABILIZED
• T8 SOLUTION HEAT TREATED, COLD WORKED AND THEN ARTIFICIALLY AGED
• T9 SOLUTION HEAT TREATED, ARTIFICIALLY AGED AND THEN COLD WORKED
• T10 COOLED FROM AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE SHAPING PROCESS, COLD WORKED AND
THEN ARTIFICIALLY AGED.
 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS FOR METAL
STANDARDS:
• AWS AMERICAN WELDING SOCIETY
• AC AIR CORPS
• ACI ALLOY CASTING INSTITUTE
• AF AIR FORCE
• AN ARMY - NAVY SPECIFICATIONS
• AND AIR FORCE - NAVY AERONAUTICAL DESIGN
• ACA ALUMINUM COMPANY OF AMERICA
• AS AERONAUTICAL STANDARDS
• ASTM AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING AND MATERIALS
 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS FOR METAL
STANDARDS:
• ASA AMERICAN STANDARD ASSOCIATION
• AISI AMERICAN IRON AND STEEL INSTITUTE
• DURAL DURALUMINUM
• GIFS GRAY IRON FOUNDERS’ SOCIETY
• MS MILITARY STANDARDS
• MIG METAL INERT - GAS
• MIL - C MILITARY ABBREVIATION - CABLE
• NAS NATIONAL AEROSPACE STANDARDS
• NAF NAVAL AIRCRAFT FACTORY
• SAE SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS
• SPSA STEEL FOUNDERS’ SOCIETY OF AMERICA
• TIG TUNGSTEN INERT - GAS
HEAT AND NON-HEAT TREATMENT (PART 2)
 NON-HEAT TREATABLE ALLOYS:

• COMMERCIALLY PURE ALUMINUM DOES NOT BENEFIT FROM HEAT TREATMENT SINCE THERE ARE NO
ALLOYING MATERIALS IN ITS STRUCTURE
• BY THE SAME TOKEN, 3003 IS AN ALMOST IDENTICAL METAL AND, EXCEPT FOR A SMALL AMOUNT
OF MANGANESE, DOES NOT BENEFIT FROM BEING HEAT TREATED.
• BOTH OF THESE METALS ARE LIGHTWEIGHT AND SOMEWHAT CORROSION RESISTANT.
• HOWEVER, NEITHER HAS A GREAT DEAL OF STRENGTH AND, THEREFORE, THEIR USE IN AIRCRAFT IS
LIMITED TO NONSTRUCTURAL COMPONENTS SUCH AS FAIRINGS AND STREAMLINED ENCLOSURES
THAT CARRY LITTLE OR NO LOAD.
• ALLOY 5052 IS PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT OF THE NON-HEAT TREATABLE ALUMINUM
ALLOYS.
• IT CONTAINS ABOUT 2.5% MAGNESIUM AND A SMALL AMOUNT OF CHROMIUM.
• IT IS USED FOR WELDED PARTS SUCH AS GASOLINE OR OIL TANKS, AND FOR RIGID FLUID
LINES. COLD WORKING INCREASES ITS STRENGTH.
 STRAIN HARDENING:

• BOTH HEAT TREATABLE AND NON-HEAT TREATABLE ALUMINUM ALLOYS CAN BE STRENGTHENED
AND HARDENED THROUGH STRAIN HARDENING, ALSO REFERRED TO AS COLD WORKING OR
WORK HARDENING.
• THIS PROCESS REQUIRES MECHANICALLY WORKING A METAL AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW ITS
CRITICAL RANGE.
• STRAIN HARDENING ALTERS THE GRAIN STRUCTURE AND HARDENS THE METAL. THE MECHANICAL
WORKING CAN CONSIST OF ROLLING, DRAWING, OR PRESSING.
• HEAT-TREATABLE ALLOYS HAVE THEIR STRENGTH INCREASED BY ROLLING AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN
SOLUTION HEAT TREATED.
• ON THE OTHER HAND, NON-HEAT-TREATABLE ALLOYS ARE HARDENED IN THE MANUFACTURING
PROCESS WHEN THEY ARE ROLLED TO THEIR DESIRED DIMENSIONS.
• HOWEVER, AT TIMES THIS ALLOYS ARE HARDENED TOO MUCH, ALL MUST BE PARTIALLY ANNEALED
 HARDNESS IDENTIFICATION:

• WHERE USED, THE TEMPER DESIGNATION FOLLOWS THE ALLOY DESIGNATION AND IS SEPARATED
FROM IT BY A DASH: FOR EXAMPLE, 7075-T6, 2024-T4 AND SO FORTH.

• THE TEMPER DESIGNATION CONSISTS OF A LETTER INDICATING THE BASIC TEMPER WHICH MAY
BE MORE SPECIFICALLY DEFINED BY THE ADDITION OF ONE OR MORE DIGITS.
 THESE DESIGNATIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

• T3 SOLUTION HEAT-TREATED AND COLD WORKED

• T4 SOLUTION HEAT-TREATED ONLY (NATURALLY AGED)
• T6 SOLUTION HEAT-TREATED ONLY AND ARTIFICIALLY AGED
• T7 SOLUTION HEAT-TREATED, COLD WORKED AND ARTIFICIALLY AGED
• T8 SOLUTION HEAT-TREATED, ARTIFICIALLY AGED AND COLD WORKED
• ON THE HEAT-TREATMENT IDENTIFICATION, THE HEAT TREATABLE ALLOYS HAVE THEIR HARDNESS
CONDITION DESIGNATED BY THE LETTER “T” FOLLOWED BY ONE OR MORE NUMBERS.
• ON THE REHEAT-TREATMENT, THE MATERIALS WHICH HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY HEAT TREATED CAN
GENERALLY BE REHEAT-TREATED ANY NUMBER OF TIMES.
• AS AN EXAMPLE, RIVETS MADE OF 2017 OR 2024 ARE EXTREMELY HARD AND TYPICALLY RECEIVE
SEVERAL REHEAT-TREATMENTS TO MAKE THEM SOFT ENOUGH TO DRIVE.
• HOWEVER, THE NUMBER OF SOLUTION HEAT-TREATMENTS ALLOWED FOR CLAD MATERIALS IS
LIMITED DUE TO THE INCREASED DIFFUSION RESULTS IN DECREASED CORROSION RESISTANCE.
• AS A RESULT, CLAD MATERIAL IS GENERALLY LIMITED TO NO MORE THAN THREE (3) REHEAT-
TREATMENTS.
 HARDNESS DESIGNATION:

• F FOR WROUGHT ALLOYS; AS FABRICATED, NO MECHANICAL PROPERTY LIMITS. FOR CAST ALLOY;
AS CAST.
• O ANNEALED, RECRYSTALLIZED (WROUGHT MATERIALS ONLY); APPLIES TO SOFTEST TEMPER OF
WROUGHT PRODUCTS.
• H STRAIN HARDENED
• H1 STRAIN HARDENED ONLY, APPLIES TO PRODUCTS WHICH ARE STRAIN HARDENED TO OBTAIN
THE DESIRED STRENGTH WITHOUT SUPPLEMENTARY THERMAL TREATMENT.
• H2 STRAIN HARDENED AND PARTIALLY ANNEALED
• H3 STRAIN HARDENED AND STABILIZED
• WHEN A DIGIT FOLLOWS THE DESIGNATIONS H1, H2 OR H3 THE SECOND NUMBER INDICATES
THE DEGREE OF STRAIN HARDENING.

• FOR EXAMPLE, THE NUMBER 8 IN THE DESIGNATION H18 REPRESENTS THE MAXIMUM TENSILE
STRENGTH, WHILE IN H10, THE 0 INDICATES AN ANNEALED STATE.
 THE MOST COMMON DESIGNATIONS INCLUDE:

• HX2 QUARTER HARD

• HX4 HALF HARD
• HX6 THREE QUARTER HARD
• HX8 FULL HARD
 SAMPLE HARDENED DESIGNATION:
METAL GROUP A:
• 7075 – T6 ZINC, NO MODIFICATION, 75% PURE ALUMINUM, SOLUTION HEAT TREATED ONLY AND
ARTIFICIALLY AGED.
• A2024 – T4 ALCLAD COVERING, COPPER, NO MODIFICATION, 24% PURE ALUMINUM, SOLUTION
HEAT TREATED ONLY (NATURALLY AGED)
• A2018 – H2 ALCLAD COVERING, COPPER, NO MODIFICATION, 18% PURE ALUMINUM, STRAIN
HARDENED AND PARTIALLY ANNEALED.
• 1100 99% PURE ALUMINUM WITH ONE CONTROL OVER INDIVIDUAL IMPURITIES
• 6151 – O MAGNESIUM AND SILICON, MODIFIED, 51% PURE ALUMINUM, ANNEALED.
 METAL GROUP B:

• 6053 – F MAGNESIUM AND SILICON, NO MODIFICATION, 53% PURE ALUMINUM, FABRICATED

• A2014 – T7 ALCLAD COVERING , COPPER, NO MODIFICATION, 14% PURE ALUMINUM, SOLUTION
HEAT TREATED, COLD WORKED AND ARTIFICIALLY AGED
• 3003 – H1 MANGANESE, NO MODIFICATION, 3% PURE ALUMINUM, STRAIN HARDENED ONLY
• 1275 99.75% PURE ALUMINUM WITH TWO CONTROLS OVER INDIVIDUAL IMPURITIES.
• A2017 – T3 ALCLAD COVERING, COPPER, NO MODIFICATION, 17% PURE ALUMINUM, SOLUTION
HEAT TREATED AND COLD WORKED.
 METAL GROUP C:

• 4032 – H3 SILICON, NO MODIFICATION, 32% PURE ALUMINUM, STRAIN HARDENED AND

STABILIZED
• A2117 – T3 ALCLAD COVERING, COPPER, MODIFIED, 17% PURE ALUMINUM, SOLUTION HEAT
TREATED AND COLD WORKED
• 5052 – O MAGNESIUM, NO MODIFICATION, 52% PURE ALUMINUM, ANNEALED.
• 1130 99.30% PURE ALUMINUM WITH ONE CONTROL OVER INDIVIDUAL IMPURITIES.
• A2025 – T6 ALCLAD COVERING, COPPER, NO MODIFICATION, 25% PURE ALUMINUM, SOLUTION
HEAT TREATED ONLY AND ARTIFICIALLY AGED.
END OF MODULES
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