The
aluminum tube has become one of the most common structural materials, and its characteristics are impressive. The
aluminum tube is light in weight and some aluminum alloys have higher strength than structural steels.
Aluminum tubes are highly resistant to corrosion under most operating conditions, and do not form colored salts that contaminate adjacent surfaces or discolor substances that come into contact with them, such as solutions in textiles and chemical equipment in the textile industry. It has good conductivity and thermal conductivity, high thermal and light reflectivity. Aluminum is easy to process into various shapes and is easy to carry out various surface treatments. The density of aluminum tube is 2.7 g/cm3, about 35% of steel and 30% of copper.
The tensile strength of
industrial pure aluminum pipe is about 100 MPa, which will be limited as a structural material. The cold strength of aluminum tubes (such as cold rolling) can be increased by about one fold. A small amount of one or more other metals, such as manganese, silicon, copper, magnesium, or zinc, is added to aluminum to greatly enhance its strength in combination with heat treatment. Like pure aluminium, cold working of aluminium alloys can also improve its strength. Aluminum alloys with tensile strength over 700 MPa have been obtained so far.
Many kinds of aluminum alloys with different mechanical properties or conditions can be obtained through various cold processing and heat treatment. In specifying the state of any given product, the method of machining and the amount of cold work accepted by the metal should be taken into account. In other words, the stated state should mean that the amount of cold work that the metal receives during processing improves the characteristics of the final product required.
