Alloys chosen for producing mass transit railcars are selected based on ease of fabrication, mechanical strength, weldability, and corrosion resistance. Diversified Specialty Metals is a natural supplier of choice when it comes to multiple alloy selection for these products.
The most common materials generally used are the aluminum magnesium 5000 Series and aluminum-magnesium-silicon 6000 alloy series. The 5000 alloys are not heat-treatable but can be strengthened by cold working. They offer moderate strength and excellent corrosion resistance and weldability. The 6000 alloys are heat treatable and can offer higher strength, good corrosion performance, and good weldability.
The connection between the aluminum industry and railroads goes back a long way, in fact almost to the inception of the aluminum industry itself in 1888. The first reported use of aluminum in this market was by the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad in 1894 when it built a special lightweight car with aluminum seat frames.
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