[Bell Historians] FW: Aluminimum bells

[Timothy Hurd]

Hi Andrew

Thanks for the Tornado metal specs. Don't know about the high percentages of Zinc and Nichol (sic) on your list, but the rest of the elements certainly are in the ballpark for 'Duralumin' alloy, first trademarked in 1910 & used extensively from 1930s onward for aircraft engineering applications. It is corrosion-resistant & strong as steel, but a lot lighter.

Was your analysis done as 'strictly chemical' or spectrographic?

These days, Duralumin has been supplanted by 2024-T4 alloy, composition percentages as below:

Al Aluminium - 90.7 - 94.7%
Cu Copper - 3.8 - 4.9%
Zn Zinc - max. 0.25%
Mg Magnesium - 1.2 - 1.8%
Si Silicon - max. 0.5%
Fe Iron - max 0.5%
Ni Nickel - 0.0%
Pb Lead - 0.0%
Sn Tin - max. 0.5%
Ti Titanium - max. 0.15%
Cr Chrome - max. 0.1%
Other - max. 0.05%
Total other - max. 0.5%

2024-T4 and 2024-T351 alloys are still currently used for some aircraft parts, but also for production of professional orchestral vibraphone tonebars. I use 2024-T4 all the time for making such bars for carillon practice claviers - the stuff rings like crazy.

I'm not sure whether the scope of (art)works for casting the Tornado remnants into a bell include judicious adjustments to the melt, but with an extra 1.0-1.5% copper added, you might get a pretty decent sounding bell, particularly with heat treatment. 

Good luck & let us know how it turns out!

Regards,
Timothy Hurd



________________________________
From: Andrew Higson <andrew.higson at 9gPw5CiOeWp3t4knyYRGj6qEUY2IR04SNSfyeguBv3BRsF7EpXXh-wez9J1zzrUR7SfM6enVkOfg-k6Lrqd3wK0N4_3ONPuj.yahoo.invalid>
To: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sat, 26 June, 2010 12:25:35 AM
Subject: [Bell Historians] FW: Aluminimum bells

  
We now have the spec for the aluminium from the melted down tornado:
 
90.92% Aluminium
3% Copper
3% Zinc
0.46% Magnesium
0.89% Silicon
0.69% Iron
0.86% Nichol
0.01% Lead
0.01% Tin
0.08% Titanium
0.08% Chrome
 
 
Andrew Higson
John Taylor & Co.
The Bellfoundry
Freehold Street
Loughborough
LE11 1AR
Telephone: 01509 212241 Fax: 01509 263305 Registered in England No. 7032766

________________________________

From:Andrew Higson 
Sent: 23 June 2010 08:17
To: ' bellhistorians@ yahoogroups. com '
Subject: Aluminimum bells
 
We are in the process of making a 60” diameter bell – how exciting I hear you cry – however it is to be cast in aluminium (aloominum for foreign correspondents) as it is for display rather than hearing.
 
I can’t find any fact or figures about aluminium bells to say whether this is the largest – anyone out there know?
 
Thanks
 
Andrew Higson
John Taylor & Co.
The Bellfoundry
Freehold Street
Loughborough
LE11 1AR
Telephone: 01509 212241 Fax: 01509 263305 Registered in England No. 7032766
 



                 
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