Valuable set of alloy guides now part of 'The Aluminium File'

Citation

(1998), "Valuable set of alloy guides now part of 'The Aluminium File'", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 70 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.1998.12770dab.071

Valuable set of alloy guides now part of 'The Aluminium File'

Valuable set of alloy guides now part of The Aluminium File

Keywords Alloys, Aluminium, Publication

Just issued to the regular recipients of The Aluminium File is a set of eight full-colour information sheets, each dedicated to one of the groups in the aluminium alloy designation series.

Together with the original Part 1.1 "Alloys and their properties", this latest set of "parts" (1.2 to 1.9) in the continuing Aluminium File partwork, make up a very valuable guide to the characteristics and applications of the many different alloys which are embraced by the generic term "aluminium".

They illustrate the point repeatedly made by proponents of the metal that aluminium is not just one metal, it is hundreds of different alloys each one with its individual characteristics so enabling designers to fit the needs of a given structure or product exactly. Whether the need is weldability, high tensile strength, corrosion resistance, fine surface grain, suitability for decorative anodising, malleability or electrical conductivity there is an aluminium alloy designed to suit.

The Aluminium File, started in 1995, is mailed direct (and free of charge) to design engineers who register to receive it. Issued at approximately quarterly intervals and made up of ten sections, the file already comprises 25 parts. The plan is to continue building the file until it represents an all-embracing guide to aluminium, its fabrication and finishing, its application and to sources of supply and fabrication services.

Publisher of The Aluminium File is the Aluminium Rolled Products Manufacturers Association (ARPMA). John Moore, spokesman for the ARPMA, says: "The File is designed as a first point or reference, and is not intended to replace such publications as The Properties of Aluminium, a technical manual published by the Aluminium Federation. Rather, we are providing for the designer a guide to the possible and where to go next to explore new avenues and ideas. The 'partwork' format allows the ARPMA to achieve a high standard or presentation while spreading the cost. It also allows us to update and re-issue sections quickly and economically".

"The subject is enormous and can be daunting for those who are new to specifying components in aluminium", he claims. "But the semi-technical style in which The Aluminium File is written and illustrated is designed to make the potential of the metal and its alloys much more accessible."

Details of The Aluminium File as well as copies of the latest set of sheets dedicated to the alloy groups are available from The Secretary, ARPMA, Broadway House, Calthorpe Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 1TN, UK. Fax: +44 (0) 121 456 2274.