390.0 (SC174A, A03900) Cast Aluminum
390.0 aluminum is an aluminum alloy formulated for casting. 390.0 is the Aluminum Association (AA) designation for this material. A03900 is the UNS number. Additionally, the British Standard (BS) designation is LM30. Older literature may refer to this material as ASTM SC174A, but this is now discouraged.
It has a moderately low embodied energy among the ANSI/AA cast aluminums in the database.
The properties of 390.0 aluminum include two common variations. This page shows summary ranges across both of them. For more specific values, follow the links immediately below. The graph bars on the material properties cards further below compare 390.0 aluminum to: ANSI/AA cast aluminums (top), all aluminum alloys (middle), and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.
Mechanical Properties
Brinell Hardness
120
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
75 GPa 11 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
1.0 %
Fatigue Strength
76 to 110 MPa 11 to 16 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.33
Shear Modulus
28 GPa 4.1 x 106 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
280 to 300 MPa 40 to 43 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
240 to 270 MPa 35 to 38 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
640 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
170 °C 340 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
650 °C 1200 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
560 °C 1030 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
880 J/kg-K 0.21 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
130 W/m-K 77 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
18 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
24 to 25 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
79 to 83 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
11 % relative
Density
2.7 g/cm3 170 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
7.3 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
130 MJ/kg 58 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
950 L/kg 110 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
2.7 to 2.9 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
380 to 470 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
15 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
52 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
28 to 30 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
35 to 36 points
Thermal Diffusivity
56 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
14 to 15 points
Alloy Composition
Among cast aluminum alloys, the composition of 390.0 aluminum is notable for containing comparatively high amounts of silicon (Si) and copper (Cu). Silicon is used to improve casting fluidity and lower melting temperature. It also has a strengthening effect. Copper is used to improve strength. This comes at the cost of a decrease in corrosion resistance and weldability.
| Al | 74.5 to 79.6 | |
| Si | 16 to 18 | |
| Cu | 4.0 to 5.0 | |
| Fe | 0 to 1.3 | |
| Mg | 0.45 to 0.65 | |
| Ti | 0 to 0.2 | |
| Mn | 0 to 0.1 | |
| Zn | 0 to 0.1 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.2 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
ASTM B85: Standard Specification for Aluminum-Alloy Die Castings
Iron in Aluminium Alloys: Impurity and Alloying Element, N. A. Belov et al., 2002
CRC Materials Science and Engineering Handbook, 4th ed., James F. Shackelford et al. (editors), 2015