5251-H16 Aluminum
5251-H16 aluminum is 5251 aluminum in the H16 temper. To achieve this temper, the metal is strain hardened to a strength that is roughly 3/4 of the way between annealed (O) and full-hard (H18). The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare 5251-H16 aluminum to: 5000-series alloys (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
71
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
68 GPa 9.9 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
2.8 %
Fatigue Strength
92 MPa 13 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.33
Shear Modulus
26 GPa 3.7 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
140 MPa 20 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
240 MPa 36 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
220 MPa 32 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
400 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
180 °C 360 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
650 °C 1200 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
610 °C 1120 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
900 J/kg-K 0.22 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
150 W/m-K 86 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
24 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
37 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
120 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
9.5 % relative
Density
2.7 g/cm3 170 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
8.5 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
150 MJ/kg 66 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
1180 L/kg 140 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
6.7 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
350 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
14 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
50 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
25 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
32 points
Thermal Diffusivity
61 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
11 points
Alloy Composition
| Al | 95.5 to 98.2 | |
| Mg | 1.7 to 2.4 | |
| Mn | 0.1 to 0.5 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.5 | |
| Si | 0 to 0.4 | |
| Cr | 0 to 0.15 | |
| Ti | 0 to 0.15 | |
| Zn | 0 to 0.15 | |
| Cu | 0 to 0.15 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.15 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Further Reading
Handbook of Aluminum vol. 2: Alloy Production and Materials Manufacturing, George Totten and D. Scott MacKenzie (editors), 2003
EN 754-2: Aluminium and aluminium alloys. Cold drawn rod/bar and tube. Mechanical properties
EN 755-2: Aluminium and aluminium alloys. Extruded rod/bar, tube and profiles. Mechanical properties
EN 485-2: Aluminium and aluminium alloys. Sheet, strip and plate. Mechanical properties
ASM Specialty Handbook: Aluminum and Aluminum Alloys, J. R. Davis (editor), 1993
ISO 6361-2: Wrought aluminium and aluminium alloys - Sheets, strips and plates - Part 2: Mechanical properties
EN 573-3: Aluminium and aluminium alloys. Chemical composition and form of wrought products. Chemical composition and form of products