How to Make Aluminum Less Ductile

Aluminum is a metal with ductile properties. This means that it is malleable and can be bent in different ways into various shapes quite easily. Sometimes engineers and metallurgists want to make aluminum less ductile. To do this, they must combine it with another metal, such as copper, to form an alloy, or mixture of two metals. This process is known as "work hardening," and it requires the repetitive heating and cooling of the metals. An example of work hardening can be performed at home using your stove and a hammer.

Things You'll Need

  • Metal Snips
  • Aluminum Sheeting
  • Copper Sheeting
  • Gas Stove Top
  • Fireproof Safety Gloves
  • Safety Goggles
  • Refrigerator
  • Baking Pan
  • Hammer
  • Metal Tongs
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut one four-inch-by-four-inch piece of copper sheeting and one matching size piece of aluminum sheeting using your metal snips. These sheets can be purchased at your local hardware store or home improvement store.

    • 2

      Hold the two metal sheets together with your metal tongs over a lit gas stove. Keep them there until the metal begins to glow red with heat. This may take several minutes. Wear your fireproof safety gloves and goggles during this step.

    • 3

      Lay the metal sheets on a hard stone or metal surface, not a wooden one. Pound the metal sheets together using your hammer. Do this while the metal is still hot. Wait until the metal cools. Wear your safety goggles and gloves for this part.

    • 4

      Pick the metal sheets up with your tongs and hold in the flame again until they glow red with heat. Repeat the pounding, cooling, heating process three more times.

    • 5

      Place your metal sheets in a metal baking tin, and put it in the refrigerator until it is cool to the touch. Compare the ductility of the alloy you have just made to the original aluminum sheet by performing bending tests on each one. The new alloy should bend much less than the aluminum alone.

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