5052 Aluminum vs. 5182 Aluminum

Feb. 08, 2025

5052 aluminum alloy and 5182 aluminum alloy are both aluminum-magnesium alloys, widely used in various fields, especially in the automotive and marine industries. The differences between these two alloys mainly lie in their chemical composition, physical properties, and application areas.

5052 aluminum alloy: It has superior corrosion resistance, making it suitable for marine environments and chemical equipment. Although it has lower strength, it performs excellently in terms of welding and machinability.
5182 aluminum alloy: It has higher strength, especially suitable for the automotive industry where parts need to withstand significant impacts and loads. While its corrosion resistance is slightly inferior to 5052, it is widely used in automotive manufacturing.

The choice between the two mainly depends on the requirements of the final application. If corrosion resistance is prioritized and moderate strength is required, 5052 is the more suitable choice; if higher strength, good formability, and applications in heavy-load environments such as automobiles are needed, 5182 is more appropriate.

5052 Aluminum vs. 5182 Aluminum Mechanical Properties

5052 aluminum alloy: Due to its excellent corrosion resistance and high strength (tensile strength of about 210 MPa), 5052 aluminum alloy is widely used in environments that require resistance to seawater corrosion, such as ships, oil and gas industries, and chemical processing equipment. 5052 also has good weldability, making it suitable for welded structural components.
5182 aluminum alloy: The tensile strength of 5182 aluminum alloy is typically higher than that of 5052 (reaching above 250 MPa) and has strong fatigue resistance and impact toughness. Due to its high magnesium content and good formability, 5182 is widely used in the automotive industry for body parts and interior/exterior trim, such as door panels, fuel tanks, and cabin panels.

Property	5052 Aluminum	5182 Aluminum
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa	68	68
Elongation at Break, %	1.1 to 22	1.1 to 12
Fatigue Strength, MPa	66 to 140	100 to 130
Poisson's Ratio	0.33	0.33
Shear Modulus, GPa	26	25
Shear Strength, MPa	120 to 180	170 to 240
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa	190 to 320	280 to 420
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa	75 to 280	130 to 360

5052 Aluminum vs. 5182 Aluminum Thermal Properties

Property	5052 Aluminum	5182 Aluminum
Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g	400	390
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C	190	180
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C	650	640
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C	610	590
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K	900	900
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K	140	130
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K	24	24

5052 Aluminum vs. 5182 Aluminum Electrical Properties

Property	5052 Aluminum	5182 Aluminum
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS	35	28
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS	120	94

5052 Aluminum vs. 5182 Aluminum Alloy Composition

5052 aluminum alloy: It is primarily composed of magnesium and chromium, with magnesium content typically ranging from 2.2% to 2.8% and chromium content typically ranging from 0.15% to 0.35%. The characteristics of 5052 aluminum alloy give it excellent corrosion resistance, making it especially suitable for marine environments.
5182 aluminum alloy: Based on 5052 aluminum alloy, 5182 aluminum alloy adds manganese, which improves its strength and durability. The magnesium content is higher, generally ranging from 4.0% to 5.0%. The addition of manganese helps enhance the alloy's hardness and impact resistance, particularly excelling in automotive manufacturing.

Element	5052 Aluminum	5182 Aluminum
Aluminum (Al), %	95.8 to 97.7	93.2 to 95.8
Chromium (Cr), %	0.15 to 0.35	0 to 0.1
Copper (Cu), %	0 to 0.1	0 to 0.15
Iron (Fe), %	0 to 0.4	0 to 0.35
Magnesium (Mg), %	2.2 to 2.8	4.0 to 5.0
Manganese (Mn), %	0 to 0.1	0.2 to 0.5
Silicon (Si), %	0 to 0.25	0 to 0.2
Titanium (Ti), %	0	0 to 0.1
Zinc (Zn), %	0 to 0.1	0 to 0.25
Residuals, %	0	0 to 0.15

5052 Aluminum vs. 5182 Aluminum Formability and Machinability

5052 aluminum alloy: 5052 can be strengthened through cold working, but unlike some aluminum alloys, it cannot increase strength through heat treatment. It has good formability and weldability, making it suitable for applications that require complex processing.
5182 aluminum alloy: Due to its higher magnesium content, 5182 alloy has higher strength and hardness. Although its machinability is slightly inferior to that of 5052, it can still be formed through cold working, making it particularly suitable for stamping parts and high-strength components in automotive manufacturing.

5052 Aluminum vs. 5182 Aluminum Corrosion Resistance

5052 aluminum alloy: 5052 has excellent corrosion resistance, especially in seawater and chemical environments. This makes 5052 a key choice in fields such as marine, chemical processing equipment, and transportation (such as ships and tankers).
5182 aluminum alloy: While 5182 has some corrosion resistance, it is slightly inferior to 5052. Its primary application field is the automotive industry rather than marine or chemical environments.

5052 Aluminum vs. 5182 Aluminum Applications

5052 aluminum alloy: Due to its excellent corrosion resistance, especially in marine environments, 5052 is commonly used in shipbuilding, the oil and gas industry, and chemical equipment manufacturing. It is also widely used in chemical containers and pressure vessels, capable of withstanding the corrosion of corrosive substances. In the automotive industry, 5052 aluminum alloy is used in vehicle body manufacturing, and it also has significant applications in aerospace equipment and welded structural components, especially in fields that require corrosion resistance and weldability.
5182 aluminum alloy: 5182 aluminum alloy, with its high strength and good impact resistance, is widely used in the automotive industry, particularly in the manufacture of body parts, fuel tanks, and interior/exterior trim. It provides sufficient strength and toughness to meet the various load and collision requirements of automotive components. Due to its good machinability and high magnesium content, 5182 aluminum alloy plays an important role in automotive manufacturing, especially in parts that require high strength and durability.

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