Heat Treatment of Aluminum Castings
Most aluminums require aging to maximize and stabilize their properties.
Not all require heat treatment to promote aging. Many age at room
temperature over a period of time. Some do require heat treatment.
Below is a list of the heat treatments commonly used for aluminum and their
designations.
-
T4
- Solution heat treated and naturally aged to substantially stable
condition. Mechanical properties and stability may change over a
long period of time.
-
T5
- Naturally cooled from the mold then artificially aged to attain
optimum mechanical properties and dimensional stability.
-
T6
- Solution heat treated and over-aged for improved dimensional
stability, but usually with some reduction from the optimum
mechanical properties.
-
F
- The designation for as-cast, naturally cooled aluminum.
-
0
- The designation for annealing. Usually the weakest, softest,
most ductile and most dimensionally stable.
The T5, T6, and T7 designations are sometimes followed by one or more
numbers which indicate changes from the originally developed treatment.