What aluminum alloy is moslty used in baking wares?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the most commonly used aluminum alloy in baking wares, exploring various perspectives on alloy composition and properties relevant to baking applications.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that the 99+% aluminum 1100 alloy is likely the most common due to its excellent thermal conductivity and ease of deep drawing.
  • Another participant, referencing an expert, notes that pure aluminum is difficult to handle for foil production due to its malleability and tendency to tear, leading to the use of alloys such as the 2000 and 3000 series, which include small amounts of Cu, Mn, and Si.
  • The historical context of pure aluminum use is mentioned, highlighting its initial impracticality and the benefits of alloying for increased tensile strength.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants present differing views on the most suitable aluminum alloy for baking wares, with no consensus reached on a single alloy being the most commonly used.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved questions regarding the specific applications of different alloys and their properties in baking, as well as the historical context of aluminum use.

rickz02
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Someone knows what is the most commonly used aluminum alloy in baking wares? Thanks for help... :)
 
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I will guess that it is close to pure 99+% aluminum 1100 alloy; see table of alloys in table at bottom of
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_alloy
and
http://www.steelforge.com/forgings/alloys/aluminum1100report.html
because it has the best thermal conductivity and is probably the easiest to deep draw.
Bob S
 
Last edited:
I asked this question of an old friend of mine, Dr. Harry Cleghorn, who used to work for Alcoa, and he replied:
Regarding aluminum foil, 100 percent aluminum is extremely difficult to handle - it is very malleable, coats the iron rolls during hot and cold rolling and at foil gauges, it tears easily, generating a lot of scrap in the process.

By alloying with small amounts of Cu, Mn, Si, one produces the 2000 and 3000 - 3100 alloy series, which is the base stock for foil production. If my memory serves me correctly, the 2000 series is less often used for this purpose, but has the higher levels of Cu.

The alloying amounts are small, corresponding to about one-tenth of a percentage point in order of magnitude.

There are some historical footnotes regarding the first use of pure aluminum by the French aristocracy (the only people who could afford to use them) when spoons and forks would bend and be virtually useless when eating food! Scientists at the time found that the addition of copper and manganese helped to increase the tensile strength.
 
Thanks.
 

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