Transcript Aluminium
Aluminium
History
-In 1807 the English chemist Sir Humphrey Davy found it
-In 1825 the Danish physicist Hans Christian Oersted
succeeded in producing the first aluminum particles
(grams) by heating the aluminum chloride to potassium.
-In 1845 the German Friedrich Wöhler has identified
several properties of aluminum, including the
considerable lightness. Aluminium was at that time more
valuable than gold.
Properties
- Very good conductor of electricity and heat
- Light and strong
- Malleable and ductile, highly reactive altough
corrosion resistant
- Prevents corrosion by forming a thin layer of aluminium
oxide on its surface
Alloys
- Typical alloying elements are copper, zinc, manganese,
silicon and magnesium.
- Aluminium is alloyed to other elements to provide
strengths needed for certain applications.
- Alloyed aluminium is harder, but when its alloyed it loses
some of its electrical conductivity.
- Almost always alloyed ( because pure aluminium is too
soft to use)
- For example manganese is often used to give increased
strenght and resistance against corrosion.
General use
Aluminium is the most widely used non-ferrous metal and it
is third most abundant element
Uses of aluminum metal are in:
- Transportation: (automobiles, aircrafts,
bicycles) as sheet, castings, tube etc.
- Heat sinks for electronic appliances such Household aluminum foil
as CPUs and transistors
- Packaging (cans, foil, etc.)
- Street lighting poles, sailing ship masts, walking poles etc.