Chemical Properties of 2024 Aluminum

Each alloy contains a specific percentage of alloying elements that imbue the base aluminum with certain beneficial qualities. In 2024 aluminum alloy, these elemental percentages as below data sheet. That's why 2024 aluminum is known for its high strength because copper, magnesium, and manganese greatly increase the strength of aluminum alloys.

Chemical Composition WT(%)
Silicon	Iron	Copper	Magnesium	Manganese	Chromium	Zinc	Titanium	Others	Aluminum
0.5	0.5	3.8~4.9	1.2~1.8	0.3~0.9	0.1	0.25	0.15	0.15	Remaining

Corrosion Resistance & Cladding

Bare 2024 aluminum alloy is more susceptible to corrosion than most other aluminum alloys, so the manufacturers have addressed this issue by coating these susceptible alloys with a layer of corrosion-resistant metal.

Heat-Treatment for Increased Strength

Type 2024 aluminum gains its optimal strength qualities not just from composition alone, but from the procedure by which is it heat-treated. There are many different procedures, or “tempers” of aluminum (given the designator -Tx, where x is a one-to-five digit long number), which all have their unique properties despite being the same alloy.

Mechanical Properties

For an alloy such as 2024 aluminum, some important measures are ultimate strength, yield strength, shear strength, fatigue strength, as well as the modulus of elasticity and shear modulus. These values will give an idea as to the workability, strength, and potential uses of a material, and are summarized below data sheet.

Mechanical Properties	Metric	English
Ultimate Tensile Strength	469 MPa	68000 psi
Tensile Yield Strength	324 MPa	47000 psi
Shear Strength	283 MPa	41000 psi
Fatigue Strength	138 MPa	20000 psi
Modulus of Elasticity	73.1 GPa	10600 ksi
Shear Modulus	28 GPa	4060 ksi

Applications of 2024 Aluminum

Type 2024 aluminum has excellent machinability, good workability, high strength, and can be made to resist corrosion with cladding, making it an optimal choice for aircraft and vehicle applications. 2024 aluminum is used throughout many industries, but some common applications for this excellent alloy are as follows:

Truck wheels
Structural aircraft parts
Gears
Cylinders
Pistons