5056-H18 Aluminum
5056-H18 aluminum is 5056 aluminum in the H18 temper. This is the strongest temper normally produced through the action of only strain hardening. The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare 5056-H18 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
110
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
67 GPa 9.8 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
9.7 %
Fatigue Strength
150 MPa 22 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.33
Shear Modulus
25 GPa 3.7 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
240 MPa 34 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
440 MPa 64 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
410 MPa 59 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
400 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
190 °C 370 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
640 °C 1180 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
570 °C 1050 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
910 J/kg-K 0.22 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
130 W/m-K 73 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
24 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
29 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
99 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
9.5 % relative
Calomel Potential
-780 mV
Density
2.7 g/cm3 170 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
9.0 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)
41 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
1220 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
14 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
51 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
46 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
48 points
Thermal Diffusivity
53 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
19 points
Alloy Composition
| Al | 93 to 95.4 | |
| Mg | 4.5 to 5.6 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.4 | |
| Si | 0 to 0.3 | |
| Mn | 0.050 to 0.2 | |
| Cr | 0.050 to 0.2 | |
| Zn | 0 to 0.1 | |
| Cu | 0 to 0.1 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.15 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Further Reading
ASTM B211: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Bar, Rod, and Wire
Aluminum Standards and Data, Aluminum Association Inc., 2013
ASM Specialty Handbook: Aluminum and Aluminum Alloys, J. R. Davis (editor), 1993