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7050 (AlZn6CuMgZr, 3.4144) Aluminum

7050 aluminum is a 7000-series aluminum alloy: the main alloying addition is zinc and it is formulated for primary forming into wrought products. 7050 is the Aluminum Association (AA) designation for this material. In European standards, it will be given as EN AW-7050. AlZn6CuMgZr is the EN chemical designation. Additionally, the UNS number is A97050.

It originally received its standard designation in 1971.

The properties of 7050 aluminum include six common variations. This page shows summary ranges across all of them. For more specific values, follow the links immediately below. The graph bars on the material properties cards further below compare 7050 aluminum to: 7000-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

70 GPa 10 x 106 psi

Elongation at Break

2.2 to 12 %

Fatigue Strength

130 to 210 MPa 20 to 31 x 103 psi

Poisson's Ratio

0.32

Shear Modulus

26 GPa 3.8 x 106 psi

Shear Strength

280 to 330 MPa 41 to 47 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)

490 to 570 MPa 71 to 82 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)

390 to 500 MPa 57 to 72 x 103 psi

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion

370 J/g

Maximum Temperature: Mechanical

190 °C 380 °F

Melting Completion (Liquidus)

630 °C 1170 °F

Melting Onset (Solidus)

490 °C 910 °F

Specific Heat Capacity

860 J/kg-K 0.21 BTU/lb-°F

Thermal Conductivity

140 W/m-K 82 BTU/h-ft-°F

Thermal Expansion

24 µm/m-K

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume

35 % IACS

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)

100 % IACS

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price

10 % relative

Density

3.1 g/cm3 190 lb/ft3

Embodied Carbon

8.2 kg CO2/kg material

Embodied Energy

150 MJ/kg 63 x 103 BTU/lb

Embodied Water

1120 L/kg 130 gal/lb

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)

10 to 55 MJ/m3

Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)

1110 to 1760 kJ/m3

Stiffness to Weight: Axial

13 points

Stiffness to Weight: Bending

45 points

Strength to Weight: Axial

45 to 51 points

Strength to Weight: Bending

45 to 50 points

Thermal Diffusivity

54 mm2/s

Thermal Shock Resistance

21 to 25 points

Alloy Composition

Among wrought aluminum alloys, the composition of 7050 aluminum is notable for containing comparatively high amounts of zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu). Zinc is used to achieve significant increases in strength, at the cost of increased susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking. Among other things, this limits weldability. Copper is used to improve strength. This comes at the cost of a decrease in corrosion resistance and weldability.

Aluminum (Al)Al 87.3 to 92.1
Zinc (Zn)Zn 5.7 to 6.7
Copper (Cu)Cu 2.0 to 2.6
Magnesium (Mg)Mg 1.9 to 2.6
Zirconium (Zr)Zr 0.080 to 0.15
Iron (Fe)Fe 0 to 0.15
Silicon (Si)Si 0 to 0.12
Manganese (Mn)Mn 0 to 0.1
Titanium (Ti)Ti 0 to 0.060
Chromium (Cr)Cr 0 to 0.040
Residualsres. 0 to 0.15

All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.

Followup Questions

Similar Alloys

Further Reading

ASTM B247: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Die Forgings, Hand Forgings, and Rolled Ring Forgings

Aluminum Standards and Data, Aluminum Association Inc., 2013

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

Properties and Selection: Nonferrous Alloys and Special-Purpose Materials, ASM Handbook vol. 2, ASM International, 1993