iPhone 6S aluminum alloy type

[kingnero]

Apparently, the bend test of the new iPhone 6S has a much better result (36.5 vs. 13.5 kg-f).
Amongst other things, this phone has got a new encasing, made out of 7000 series aluminum.
This is the best I could google. Anybody knows the exact alloy perhaps? just for my interest...

 

[CoryPad]

I believe it is 7005. Apple made a reference to bicycle frames and 7000 series aluminium, and I am making an educated guess from there.

 

[WKTaylor]

Kingnero...

There are several scientific ways to ID the aluminum alloy-temper. Here's how I would tell a junior engineer to ID an unknown aircraft grade of aluminum [most methods/techniques] are useful for non-aerospace grades of aluminum also.

1. Strip a section of the case down to bare metal.

2. Take micro-hardness and conductivity [%IACS] readings of the bare aluminum surface. Several ASTM, MIL and AMS specs available to accomplish this testing.

3. 'Hit it' with [hand-held] spectrograph, to determine alloy composition [common lab equipment, now-days].

4. Refer to specific [suspected] alloy specifications, and/or typical wrought aluminum spec like ASTM [B221], various AMS specs or perhaps Aluminum Association Standards Data [latest like 2013], for alloy chemistry.

Between hardness, conductivity [%IACS] and chemistry You should quickly zero in-on the alloy [or closely related alloys] and relative temper [heat treated and/or strain hardened] of the case material.

Another approach would be to refer the to: DOD-HDBK-249 METALS AND ALLOYS, RAPID ON-SITE IDENTIFICATION OF (RECOMMENDED PROCEDURE FOR CHEMICAL SPOT TESTING AND ASSOCIATED PHYSICAL TESTS TO VERIFY METAL ALLOY CLASSIFICATION) ... although I've found this more useful for non-ferrous alloys.





Regards, Wil Taylor

o Trust - But Verify!
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