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Manganese In The Aluminum Industry
Manganese (Mn) is a critical ingredient in both iron and steel production because of its sulfur-fixing, deoxidizing and alloying properties. The steelmaking industry accounts for most of the domestic manganese demand (roughly 85% to 90% of the total).
Manganese is an essential component of widely used aluminum alloys. It’s used in the making of the cathode in dry cell batteries and lithium-ion batteries designed for electric vehicles.
About 10% of manganese supply goes into the production of high purity manganese products. This includes electrolytic Manganese Metal (EMM), Electrolytic Manganese Dioxide (EMD) and Manganese Sulphate.
What Are The Alloys Of Aluminum
1XXX Series: This series is made up of 99 percent aluminum or higher purity. This series is extremely corrosion resistant, is very workable and has high thermal and electrical conductivity properties. The 1XXX series is used primarily for transmission, power grids and electrical applications.
2XXX Series: This series utilizes copper as the primary alloying element. These alloys provide both strength and toughness but lack the atmospheric corrosion resistance that many other aluminum alloys provide.
3XXX Series: This series utilizes Manganese as the primary alloying element. This is a popular general purpose alloy because of its moderate strength and amazing workability. Used prim,ariyl for the creation of cooking utensils, heat exchangers and more.
4XXX Series: This series of alloys utilizes silicon. When added in sufficient quantities, It can lower the boiling point of aluminum without becoming brittle. This is often used as welding wire and brazing alloys where the lower melting point is required. Primarily it is used as a filler alloy for structural and automotive applications.
5XXX Series: This series utilizes magnesium as the alloying agent. This is one of the most effective and widely used alloy elements for Aluminum. It provides decent strength characteristics, has great weldability and corrosion resistance. It is used in electronics, marine, and architectural applications.
6XXX Series: This series uses both silicon and magnesium to form magnesium silicide within the alloy. It provides an alloy that is heat treatable, weldable and provides good strength and corrosion resistance. This alloy is used in truck and marine applications as well as even being included on some iPhones models.
7XXX Series: This alloy primarily uses zinc as the primary alloying agent. Magnesium is added in small amounts to result in a heat treatable and high strength alloy. Sometimes copper and chromium are added in small amounts as well. These alloys are used within the aircraft industry, apple watches, and more.
How Is Aluminum Alloy Made
An aluminum alloy is a chemical composition that involves adding elements to pure aluminum to enhance its properties. This is done mainly to increase its strength. Some of these elements include iron, copper, silicon, magnesium, zinc, and manganese. They’re included in small amounts.
It’s also very beneficial when it comes to corrosion resistance. Adding alloying elements to aluminum is the main method used to produce a wide selection of strengthened materials. These can be used in an assortment of structural applications.
When combined, the levels of manganese make up as much as 15 percent of the alloy by weight alone. Creating an alloy requires the thorough mixing of aluminum with these other elements while the aluminum is in liquid form (molten).
How To Make Aluminum Stronger
3XXX alloys are created by adding small amounts of manganese to aluminum. This increases strength through solution strengthening and improves hardening while not greatly reducing ductility or corrosion resistance.
These are moderate strength non heat-treatable materials that retain their strength at increased temperatures. Some common applications for the 3XXX series alloys include air conditioning condensers, cooking utensils, radiators, evaporators, heat exchangers & some piping systems.
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