What is 2024 Aluminum & Aluminum 2024 Properties | Difference Between Al 6061 and 2024

Aluminum alloy is a type of engineering material that available in numerous classes, the naming system developed by the Aluminum Association separates aluminum alloys using 1xxx, 2xxx, 3xxx, 6xxx, and more series. We have introduced the most common type – 6061 aluminum in our previous article, here we’ll outline the overview of 2024 aluminum, covering its definition, composition, physical and mechanical properties and its difference between 6061.

What is 2024 Aluminum?

2024 aluminum is an aluminum alloy, with copper as the primary alloying element, and added 0.3% – 1% Mn, 1.2% – 1.8% Mg, 0.1% Cr and 0.25% Zn. In some cases, it may also contain Si, Ti and Fe. Al 2024 is a kind of high strength duralumin that mainly used to make parts and components withstand high load and suitable for applications requiring high strength to weight ratio and good fatigue resistance. It can be strengthened by heat treatment, and weldable only through friction welding. 2024 alloy usually comes in the extruded form, also available in sheet and plat. Aluminum can be machined to various components using mills, lathes and other CNC machines, aluminum machining services at CNCLATHING are capable to produce precise custom parts in desired specification.

There are four basic temper designations used for aluminum alloys, including -F: as fabricated; -O: annealed; -H: strain hardened and -T: thermally treated. The first digit following the “T” indicates the basic heat treatment method and optional second-to-fifth digits indicate specific manufacturing qualities. Based on the temper, aluminum 2024 can be classified into 2024-O, 2024-T3, 2024-T4, 2024-T5, and 2024-T351. And the mechanical properties of these 2024 alloys may differ from each other due to the temper of material.

Physical & Chemical Properties of 2024 Aluminum

When choosing a material for a specific project, it’s vital to understand the characteristics of each metal or plastic, here let’s take a look at the aluminum 2024 properties.

– Density of aluminum 2024: 2.78 g/cm³ (0.1 lb/in³)

– Electrical conductivity: 30% IACS

– Melting point: 500 °C (932 °F)

– Poor corrosion resistance

– Can be strengthened using heat treatment

– Average machinability

– High strength

– Poor weldability

– Good workability

Mechanical Properties of 2024 Aluminum

Please note that the following measures are based on the aluminum 2024-T4.

– Ultimate Tensile Strength of 2024 Aluminum: 469 MPa

– Tensile Yield Strength of 2024 Aluminum: 324 MPa

– Shear Strength of 2024 Aluminum: 283 MPa

– Fatigue Strength of 2024 Aluminum: 138 MPa

– Modulus of Elasticity of 2024 Aluminum: 73.1 GPa

– Shear Modulus of 2024 Aluminum: 28 GPa

What are the uses or applications of 2024 aluminum alloy? Due to its high strength and fatigue resistance, 2024 is widely used in aircraft components, rivets, metal components, truck wheels, screw products and other structural applications. 2024 is used in the qualification of liquid penetrant tests outside of normal temperature ranges.

Aluminum 2024 vs 6061 - Difference Between 6061 and 2024 Aluminum

When you are hesitating between 2024 and 6161 alloys, compare them in many ways, especially the aspect you are concerned about. Check out the following comparison between aluminum 2024 and 6061 and distinguish which one is a more appropriate option for your application.

1. Composition

2024 and 6061 are both wrought aluminum alloys, while 2024 aluminum uses copper as the primary element and the 6061 uses silicon and magnesium as the principal alloying elements.

2. Properties

Firstly, 6061 has a higher corrosion resistance than 2024 because the high percentage of copper in 2024 aluminum greatly reduces its corrosion resistance and the addition of chromium in 6061 gives this alloy a high resistance to corrosion.

Also, 6061 has a higher resistance to spots and seams than 2024 and better stress-corrosion. Check out some attributes comparison between 2024-T3 and 6061-T651.

3. Applications

The 6061 and 2024 are both popular choices in various applications, 2024 is commonly selected in aircraft structures and other aerospace applications , especially the wings and fuselage, which are frequently under tension. 2024 can also be found in the transportation industry. While 6061 is more applied for general uses, including heavy-duty structures requires good corrosion resistance, truck and marine applications, railroad cars, automotive industry, motorcycles, bicycles, boats, camera lenses, scuba tanks, firearms, electrical fitting, furniture and pipelines.

What is 2024 Aluminum & Aluminum 2024 Properties | Difference Between Al 6061 and 2024