Thought of as the “aircraft” alloy because of its strength, 2024 alloy has only fair corrosion resistance but good machinability. The alloy lends itself only to resistance welding. In the annealed state it has good workability but is only fair to poor in tempers.
2024 is heavily utilized in aircraft applications because it has good machining characteristics and higher strength than either 2014 and 2017. Though cold formability is considered fair, it is one of the most popular alloys for cold heading and thread rolling applications as a result of the superior grain structure that can be obtained. Corrosion resistance and anodizeablilty are only fair. It is also the basic alloy for cold finished square and rectangular bar. Again, this is because of its high strength and good machinability, which are essential for precision fittings and parts.
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