Yield
Pure ~30 MPa; 7075-T6 ~500 MPa — alloy and temper, not “aluminium” as a single number.
Numbers below are bands used by working engineers, not live quotes. Tensile note: grade-dependent.
Fire performance in this atlas is editorial. Real projects need the assembly report.
Mechanical
E-modulus
~70 GPa, about one-third of steel — expect more elastic deflection.
Fatigue
No true endurance limit like steel; design to a life.
Weld HAZ
Heat-treatable grades lose T6 strength in the HAZ unless re-aged or designed around it.
Forming
Excellent deep draw in 3000/5000; 7000 series is stingier.
Thermal
Conductivity
Pure ~237 W/m·K; alloys lower but still heat-sink class.
Melting
660 °C — fires that barely bother steel can puddle aluminium members.
Expansion
~23 × 10⁻⁶ /K, roughly double steel; joints must slide.
Specific heat
~900 J/kg·K; light but not a thermal barrier.
Cryogenic
FCC aluminium stays tough at LNG temperatures — unlike many BCC steels.
Electrical
Conductivity
~61% IACS for 1350 EC grade — the overhead-line metal.
Skin
ACSR cores pair aluminium conductivity with steel strength.
Anodising
Turns the surface into a thicker dielectric oxide for colour and wear.
Fire
Euroclass
Metal A1, but melting and dripping in fire is the structural story.
Façades
Aluminium composite panels with polymer cores have a separate, infamous fire history (PE cores).
Powder
Fine aluminium dust is explosible; foundries treat it as a process hazard.
Fireproofing
Not a wool substitute; use it as structure or heat spreader, not as insulation.
If a salesperson quotes a single “safety score”, ask which standard, which thickness, which year.
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