1050A Aluminium

1050A is an unalloyed (‘pure’) non-heat-treatable aluminium engineered for general engineering applications where high mechanical properties are not required.

Overview

Internationally recognised grade EN AW 1050A H14 – 99.50% pure aluminium (Al 99.5) sheet strain hardened to the half-hard temper. The previous BS specification was known as S1B, and the half-hard temper was known as H4, giving S1B H4. Smiths range of 1050A will meet all appropriate national/international standards.

Corrosion Resistance

This unalloyed aluminium product offers superior corrosion resistance and finds use in industrial and marine environments without problems. Where considering this sheet for use in marine environments, it may be worthwhile reviewing alloyed aluminium grades, such as as5251 (NS4), which is generally more suitable to marine environment applications.

Machining

Pure aluminium has only fair machinability due to the softness of the alloy. The half-hard temper increases the hardness over the annealed/soft base alloy but is not free chipping compared to more hardened, alloyed aluminium products. We recommend aluminium geometry cutting tools running at a reasonable speed to avoid the edge build-up, which can occur at lower cutting speeds. High-speed steel tools may be more economical than carbide, particularly with the possibility of a large rake angle on machines which cannot reach carbide cutting speeds.

Surface Treatment

Grade 1050A has superior anodising properties for both decorative and technical requirements. It is also well-suited to chemical and electrolytic brightening.

Typical Applications

Commercial applications for this engineering material include: