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Property
Modification
Many structural metals undergo some special treatment to modify
their properties so that they will perform better for their intended
use. This treatment can include mechanical working, such as rolling
or forging, alloying and/or thermal treatments. Consider aluminum
as an example. Commercially pure aluminum (1100) has a tensile
strength of around 13,000 psi, which limits its usefulness in
structural applications. However, by cold-working aluminum, its
strength can be approximately doubled. Also, strength increases
are obtained by adding alloying metals such as manganese, silicon,
copper, magnesium and zinc. Further, many aluminum alloys are
strengthened by heat treatment. Some heat-treatable aluminum alloys
obtain tensile strengths that can exceed 100,000 psi.
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