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Aluminum Terms

Alloy – A material that consists of two or more elements. At least one of these elements must be a metal.

Alloying Element – An element that is added to another metal in order to change its properties and characteristics.

Alumina – In other words, aluminum oxide.

Aluminothermy – A reaction between crushed aluminum and a metal oxide, which produces a large amount of heat and creates a metal.

Aluminum Dross – A byproduct of aluminum melting that contains impurities and is often reused in secondary aluminum production.

Annealing – The process of treating an aluminum alloy with heat in order to soften it.

Anodizing – The process of coating a material with a hard layer of aluminum oxide.

Bayer Process – The method that is used to extract alumina from bauxite ore.

Bauxite – The main ore from which aluminum is extracted using the Bayer process.

Bend Test – A test that determines the toughness of a metal through bending.

Billet – A cast, cylindrical piece of aluminum that is used to make extrusions.

Blank – A piece of metal that is cut or formed into a shape to prepare for further processing.

Casting – The process of pouring molten aluminum into a mold shaped like the final product (http://www.die-castings.net).

Conductivity – A metal’s ability to conduct electricity. Aluminum is a good conductor, and therefore is often used in wires.

Degassing – The process of reducing the level of hydrogen in molten aluminum.

Ductility – A metal’s ability to deform elastically and plastically without breaking.

Extrusion – The process of deforming solid aluminum by forcing a cylindrical billet through a die to create a product with a consistent cross-section.

Forging – The process of deforming solid aluminum into a product by hammering or squeezing it into a die.

Formability – A measure of a metal’s ease of being deformed.

Foundry – A place that melts and casts metals into various shapes.

Hall-Heroult Process – The post-Bayer process in which the aluminum oxide becomes aluminum metal.

Heat Treatment – The process of using heat to alter the properties of aluminum.

Reflectivity – A metal’s ability to reflect heat, radar and radio waves. Aluminum is a good reflector, and thus is used in radio antennae.

Rolling – The process of squeezing aluminum between two rollers to create flat plate, sheet or foil (http://www.rollformedparts.com).

Smelting – The process by which molten aluminum is produced from alumina.

Thermal Conductivity – A metal’s ability to carry heat. Aluminum is the most efficient at this of all the common metals.