5251-H38 Aluminum
5251-H38 aluminum is 5251 aluminum in the H38 temper. This is the strongest temper normally produced through the action of strain hardening followed by stabilization. It is closely related to H18. The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare 5251-H38 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
77
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
68 GPa 9.9 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
2.8 %
Fatigue Strength
100 MPa 15 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.33
Shear Modulus
26 GPa 3.7 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
160 MPa 24 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
280 MPa 41 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
230 MPa 33 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)
7.4 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
370 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
14 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
50 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
29 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
35 points
Thermal Diffusivity
61 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
13 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