The 2024 aluminum vs 6061 are both aircraft grade aluminum alloys, what are the difference between them?
2024 aluminum alloy is a typical hard aluminum alloy in the aluminum-copper-magnesium system, the temperature is higher than 125 °C, and the strength of 2024 aluminum alloy is higher than that of 7075 aluminum alloy. The formability is better in the hot state, annealed and new quenched state, and the strengthening effect of heat treatment is remarkable, but the heat treatment process is strict. The corrosion resistance is poor, but it can be effectively protected by covering it with pure aluminum. It is easy to produce cracks during welding, but it can be welded or riveted by special processes. 2024 aluminum sheet is widely used in aircraft structure (skin, skeleton, rib beam, bulkhead, etc.), rivets, missile components, truck wheels, propeller components and other various structural parts.
The main alloying elements in 6061 aluminum alloy are magnesium and silicon, which have medium strength, good corrosion resistance, weldability and good oxidation effect. It is widely used in various industrial structural parts that require certain strength and high corrosion resistance. 6061 aluminum sheet can neutralize the bad effect of iron,sometimes a small amount of copper or zinc is added to improve the strength of the alloy without significantly reducing its corrosion resistance. There is also a small amount of copper in the conductive material to offset Titanium and iron have adverse effects on electrical conductivity; zirconium or titanium can refine grains and control recrystallization structure; in order to improve machinability, lead and bismuth can be added. The solid solution of Mg2Si in aluminum makes the alloy have the function of artificial aging hardening. The main alloying elements in 6061 aluminum alloy are magnesium and silicon, which have medium strength, good corrosion resistance, weldability, and good oxidation effect.
2024 aluminum alloy is typically chosen in applications requiring high strength, but for your particular application, you may be considering other options. Some other common alloys that are often considered substitutes, 6061 aluminum alloy and 7075 aluminum alloy. 6061 aluminum, also known as “structural aluminum”, is a 6000 series alloy with magnesium as the main alloying element. It offers medium to high strength, but does not offer the same tensile strength or yield strength as 2024 aluminum alloy. While it’s less powerful, it’s more versatile. It is more corrosion resistant, easier to weld and more suitable for machining.