Aluminum in Shipbuilding
Aluminum in Shipbuilding
Aluminum in Shipbuilding
Materials used for ship construction play very important role in the total cost of the vessel and
the performance of the vessel in operation. Most of the failures occurred in ships are attributed
to the materials. There are many materials available for ship construction. The Selection of
material will be depending on the type of the vessel and the purpose for which it is going to be
built. Following are the materials:
1. Steel
2. Aluminium
3. Composites
Aluminum Alloys :
The second most commonly used material in shipbuilding after steel is aluminum alloy.
The aluminum alloy range is very versatile because of its unique combination of
properties for engineering and construction purposes. Aluminum alloys have the primary
advantage of being light weight with some alloys having comparable strength to that of
structural steel, thus providing better strength to weight ratio compared with steel. They
also have high corrosion resistance.
Aluminum alloys are classified under two categories: non-heat treatable and heat
treatable. The non-heat treatable alloys are those that respond to cold working
(rolling/drawing) to improve mechanical properties. The properties are then degraded
when heat is applied (for example, from welding) . To improve the properties the
material would require reworking, which is not always possible. The non-heat treatable
alloy series are 1XXX, 3XXX, 4XXX and 5XXX. The heat treatable alloys 2XXX, 6XXX and
7XXX series are those that respond to heat treatment to improve mechanical properties.
Welding will reduce the strength of the alloy, however post-heat treatment can restore
the strength close to its original properties.
The mechanical properties of aluminum alloys are varied and this allows versatility when
selecting a particular series and grade of aluminum alloy. The aluminum alloy series
1XXX to 7XXX have different applications depending on their major alloying element
content as detailed below (Table 3).
Light Weight
Corrosion resistant
Easily formed
Easily fabricated
Readily Available
Ductile
Non Magnetic
Aluminum alloys are already a very important material in the construction of fast ferries
and high speed light craft. The lighter construction of these vessels allows a higher speed
or reduced fuel consumption resulting in a reduction of overall running costs.
The properties of 5XXX and 6XXX series aluminum alloys can be compared to other
metallic materials commonly used in the marine environment (Table 5).
Alloy
and
Temper Temperature Ultimate Yield Strength Elongation
oC Tensile (MPa) in 50 mm (%)
Strength
(MPa)
25 305 220 10
25 310 275 17
6082 - T6 370 20 10 95
(g cm-
Materials 3) (liquidus) 0C Strength Tensile (%)
(MPa) Strength
(MPa)
Al 5086-H116 2.66 600 230 320 10
Copper-Nickel
90/10 8.9 1140 120 320 40