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Aluminum and its properties.

Date Submitted: 09/10/2006 03:04:10
Category: / History / World History
Length: 3 pages (861 words)
Aluminum is a light weight metal that is known for its resistance to oxidation, strength, and it low cost. Several applications which this material is used for are cans, corvettes and spaceships. Aluminum alloys form vital components of aircraft and rockets as a result of their high strength to weight ratio. Aluminum's strength is increased when certain impurities are added to form different alloys. Certain alloys like aluminum wrought 2024 have high strengths. Aluminum has only …
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…or more aluminum hydroxide minerals. The bauxite is refined to form aluminum oxide. Since aluminum is not found free in nature, it has to be extracted from its ore, aluminum oxide. This is done through electrolysis. Aluminum oxide is dissolved in molten cryolite and reduced to pure metal. Temperatures at this stage reach up to 980 C. Cryolite is a mixture of aluminum, sodium, and calcium fluorides. Then you have metal aluminum free of impurities.(Wikipedia)
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