How to Check Aluminium Grade

The difference in aluminum grades essentially stems from the difference in chemical composition. For example, the main chemical components of 6061 aluminum plate are aluminum, magnesium and silicon, of which the magnesium content is about 0.8-1.2% and the silicon content is about 0.4-0.8%.

Different grades of aluminum alloys have different performances in terms of strength, hardness, corrosion resistance, and processing performance. For example, 2xxx aluminum alloys have high strength but poor corrosion resistance, and usually require surface treatment; 5xxx aluminum alloys have excellent corrosion resistance and can be used stably in marine environments; 7xxx aluminum alloys have extremely high strength, but relatively low plasticity and are difficult to process.

Testing and analyzing the performance characteristics of aluminum alloys, combined with the performance characteristics of common grades, can also assist in determining their specific grades.

Regular aluminum alloy products usually have clear logos, indicating brand, specifications and other information. At the same time, the product's quality assurance, test report and other documents will also clearly record the brand of the aluminum alloy. During on-site testing, you should first carefully check the product logo and related certificates.

This is the most direct and convenient way to obtain aluminum alloy brand information. If the logo is unclear or there is doubt about the information, you can ask the supplier to provide a more detailed test certificate or a third-party test report.

Professional detection methods

1. Spectroscopic analysis

Spectroscopic analysis is one of the most commonly used aluminum alloy grade detection methods, mainly including direct reading spectral analysis and X-ray fluorescence spectral analysis (XRF).

Direct reading spectral analysis: This method has fast detection speed and high accuracy. It can analyze multiple elements at the same time and is widely used in the composition analysis of metal materials.

X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF): XRF analysis does not require complex pre-treatment of samples and can achieve non-destructive testing. It is suitable for analyzing aluminum alloy samples of various forms and is widely used in on-site testing and laboratory analysis.

2. Chemical analysis method

Chemical analysis method is a classic detection method that determines the content of each element in aluminum alloy through chemical reaction. Although the operation of chemical analysis method is relatively cumbersome and the detection cycle is long, its detection results are highly accurate and it is often used as an arbitration analysis method.

3. Metallographic analysis

It is mainly used to observe the microstructure of aluminum alloys. By analyzing the characteristics of the organizational morphology, grain size, phase structure, etc., it can assist in determining the grade and heat treatment state of the aluminum alloy.

Different grades of aluminum alloys like aluminum 1100 sheet and 3003 aluminum sheet may have obvious differences in their metallographic structures after the same heat treatment process; even for the same grade of aluminum alloy, different heat treatment states will lead to changes in the metallographic structure. Metallographic analysis is usually used in combination with other detection methods to provide a more comprehensive basis for accurately determining the grade of aluminum alloys.