Nowadays, corrugated aluminum steel sheets are gaining more and more popularity. Such material is actively used not only by different construction organizations but also by designers who create structural units for various purposes with the help of corrugated aluminum steel sheets.
Standard requirements
According to GOST 21631-76, corrugated aluminum sheet products are rectangular and produced with specially applied protrusions (corrugations) that form a specific corrugated pattern on the steel sheet. Such protrusions, as well as the very low weight of the aluminum sheet, are the most characteristic features of this material.
There are basic geometric parameters of corrugated aluminum steel sheets:
- the length of sheets – 200–600 cm;
- the width of sheets – 100–150 cm;
- the thickness of aluminum sheet metal – 1.5–4 mm (it does not include corrugation height).
Production methods
Corrugated aluminum steel sheets are produced with the help of hot or cold rolling. At the same time, sheets with a thickness of 3-4 mm are made using hot rolling, and products with a smaller thickness — by the means of cold rolling. Regardless of what type of corrugation needs to be applied on the surface of a steel sheet, all corrugated aluminum products are produced according to the following technological scheme:
- Aluminum alloy is used to make massive ingots, the weight of which is 2-3 tons.
- Then, the aluminum ingots go through various preparatory processes.
- The resulting fabricated materials are exposed to hot rolling, which can be followed by cold rolling if necessary.
- After that, the corrugated aluminum sheets are subjected to heat treatment and finishing operations.
Advantages of corrugated aluminum steel sheets
The high popularity of aluminum steel sheets with various types of corrugation is explained by a whole list of their characteristics such as:
- attractive appearance;
- extremely high resistance to the formation and development of corrosion processes (similar to the Galvanised steel sheet);
- low weight;
- exceptional nonslip performance due to the great roughness of corrugated surface;
- environmental safety (aluminum does not emit any harmful impurities into the atmosphere);
- a long period of operation without loss of initial quality;
- service ability under rough conditions.
Spheres of application
Due to such qualities as great roughness and resistance to the negative impact of the environment, corrugated aluminum steel sheets are actively used in the manufacture of sea and river vessels. The automotive industry is another area where corrugated sheets became widely used. Also, this material is used for flooring and making steps in public transport, as well as for strengthening vehicle covers and side parts of cars. Due to the exceptional decorativeness of corrugated aluminum steel, it is used in the original tuning of minibusses and SUVs.
This material can operate well both indoors and outdoors, so it is actively used in the construction industry. Thus, corrugated aluminum steel sheets are used for:
- finishing of elements of building facades and structures for various purposes;
- construction of underground passages, stairs, and bridges, the working surfaces of which have to differ by nonslip effect;
- installation of road fences;
- manufacturing of billboards.
The exceptional decorative characteristics of aluminum corrugated steel sheets allow modern designers to use them for the construction of such architectural elements as:
- interior columns;
- portable room dividers;
- suspended ceiling;
- screens of heating radiators.
Also, corrugated aluminum steel sheets are used in the manufacture of such furniture products:
- tabletops;
- shelving units for various purposes;
- stands;
- equipment used in the distributive services;
- equipment for food and chemical enterprises.
To sum up, the great popularity of corrugated aluminum steel sheet is associated with the simplicity of its processing and numerous useful characteristics. To make a required product from such steel, there is no need to use any special equipment and services of efficient staff. It is possible to create structures of the required size and configuration from corrugated aluminum sheets even in the context of a home workshop fitted out with a minimum set of equipment.
