5021-H38 Aluminum
5021-H38 aluminum is 5021 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 5021-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
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
68 GPa 9.9 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
3.4 %
Fatigue Strength
110 MPa 16 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.33
Shear Modulus
26 GPa 3.7 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
170 MPa 25 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
300 MPa 43 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
240 MPa 36 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
400 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
180 °C 360 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
640 °C 1190 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
590 °C 1090 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
900 J/kg-K 0.22 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
140 W/m-K 81 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
23 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
35 % 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
8.6 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)
9.4 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
440 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
14 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
50 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
30 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
37 points
Thermal Diffusivity
57 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
13 points
Alloy Composition
| Al | 95.2 to 97.7 | |
| Mg | 2.2 to 2.8 | |
| Mn | 0.1 to 0.5 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.5 | |
| Si | 0 to 0.4 | |
| Cr | 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
ISO 6361-2: Wrought aluminium and aluminium alloys - Sheets, strips and plates - Part 2: Mechanical properties
CRC Materials Science and Engineering Handbook, 4th ed., James F. Shackelford et al. (editors), 2015