The Behavior of High-Magnesium-Content Aluminum Alloys at Room and Liquid-Nitrogen Temperatures

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a demand for more knowledge of the properties of materials at what is loosely termed “low temperatures,” Among other things, this has been necessitated by the widespread industrial use of refrigeration, primarily via liquefied gases, and by flight at altitudes whose temperatures are the same as or in the vicinity of that of the tropopause. Not a small amount of time and effort has been devoted to the testing of high-magnesium-content aluminum alloys. The widespread interest in this group of materials stems from their highly desirable combination of high strength-to-weight ratio, ease of fabrication, economy of processing, and, perhaps most importantly, improved physical properties of both the parent and welded material at low temperatures.