Our ancestors in various parts of the world used to build their shelters with normal mud or at least they used the mud to insulate their roof tops made of wood or special cloth. Nowadays we still use mud (Bauxite) but after some processes that transform it into the silver metal Aluminium.

All the readers of this article being part of Arabal 2023, hence part of the Aluminium world are experts in the process of transforming Bauxite into Aluminium. So why from Mine to Space?

The Aluminium as an element was discovered by the Danish chemist Hans Christian Oersted in 1825.

After lengthy technological development, aluminium and its alloys were used in many construction and civil applications. It is quite difficult in only one page to cover the advantages and disadvantages of Aluminium in that field but we can through some lights:

Aluminium is the second most widely specified metal in construction after steel, and is used in various sectors, from commercial buildings to domestic dwellings.

The main uses of aluminium in construction are windows, roofing, cladding, curtain walling and structural glazing, prefabricated buildings, architectural hardware, H&V, shop fitting and partitions.

Aluminium, like gold, in its primary form has a relatively low strength. For extrusions and other manufactured components, the material is alloyed to improve its strength, although even the most heavily alloyed aluminium is around 92% of purity.

The two series of alloys widely used in construction are the 5000 series work-hardened magnesium alloys and the 6000 series heat-treatable magnesium silicone alloys.

In addition to functional and economic criteria, aesthetic and design considerations together with ecological demands placed on building projects play an equally important role. Aluminium, the building material for the modern age, established itself as an important factor in the building and construction industry during the 20th century. Aluminium enables every possible architectural concept to be realized – regardless of whether it is a new build or a modernization.

One of Aluminium’s primary appeals to specifiers is its exceptional strength to weight ratio. At 2.7g/cm², Aluminium is 66% lighter than steel. It is also far less susceptible to brittle fractures.

The ability to recycle aluminium building products is also becoming more important as more building owners decide to deconstruct rather than demolish older buildings. Owners are now much more deliberate about how they take down a building so as to extract as much recyclable material as possible.

To produce aluminium from recycled material, for example, requires much less power (some studies says only 5%) of the energy required to produce aluminium from bauxite. In addition, every ton of recycled aluminium saves four tons of bauxite. By doing so, they not only retain the scrap value of a material such as aluminium but also eliminate the environmental impact and cost of dumping it in a landfill.

The major properties of Aluminium in construction are, Durability, Design flexibility, Hundreds of surface finishes, High reflectivity for light management and creative designs, Fire safety, Optimal security compared to Glass

Its advantages are: lightweight, excellent corrosion resistance, strong at low temperatures, easy to work, easy surface treatment; while its disadvantages are: thermal insulation is definitely insufficient due to its good thermal conductivity, poor water proofing, general noise caused by rain or hail falling on aluminium roof, so only in some countries.

Construction on average consumes 25% of the global aluminium production, this percentage is quite comparable to the transportation industry consumption which is similar or maybe 1 or 2 % higher, this led some researchers to measure the PER CAPITA consumption of Aluminium and below are some examples. For the top 10 countries:

South Korea – 42.76 kg, Bahrain – 32 kg, Germany – 31 kg, Italy – 29.02 kg, China – 28 kg, Greece – 26.6 kg, USA – 15 kg, France – 14.92 kg, Spain – 14 kg, Canada, Japan and Sweeden – 13 kg

Finally, if you are looking for a new password for any of your applications you can select one of the following:

• 26.9815384±0.0000003 (this is the Aluminium atomic weight)
• 933.47 K ​660.32 °C, ​1220.58 °F (This is the melting point)
• 2743 K ​2470 °C, ​4478 °F (this is the boiling point)
• For an easier password you can use its Density 2.70g/ g/cm3

See you in Arabal 2023 in Saudi Arabia!