Zenith Aircraft Builders and Flyers
Aluminum Substitutes
Hello to the forum, I have an opportunity to acquire a significant quantity of the 2024-T3 aluminum sheets, in reading the manual the 6061-T6 can be substituted for the 2024-T3 if it is a QQ-A-250/4 spec.
The material I can acquire, is the 2024-T3 QQ-A-250/5 ,,, In my research the only difference between the two is that 250/4 is bare aluminum and 250/5 is clad. is there an disadvantage to clad over bare, for instance the thickness of the material is 0.040". Any thoughts or help would be greatly appreciated.
Paul Bonasera
Clad will not change the thickness that is put on before the rolling starts. 2024 t3 is about 1/3 stronger than 6061 t6. The clad will keep the 2024 from corroding so it will not need to be painted and if you want to polish the plane it will shine brighter. The only draw back to 2024t3 is the bend radius is a little bigger.
Apr 19
Gary Welch
Source: Redstone Manufacturing
Several fundamental characteristics differentiate 2024 aluminum from 6061 aluminum, influencing their use in varied applications. A corrosion resistance comparison reveals the superior corrosion resistance of 6061 aluminum, which is primarily due to its lower copper content. This makes 6061 more suitable for applications exposed to corrosive environments.
However, 2024-T3 is coated from the mill on both sides with Alclad making it very corrosion resistant. All of the Vans Aircraft are built with 2024-T3.
This material is very slightly heavier than 6061 but I'm guessing it's not enough of a difference to make a difference on a Zenith Aircraft.
As in all such variations from Chris' design, its best to check with the factory to ensure there are no issues.
Apr 19