toughness limits established by the Aluminum Association are given in Aluminum

Standards and Data (11) for certain tempers of several plate and sheet
alloys (2124, 7050, and 7475), but none of these alloys are included in the
Aluminum Specification. Fracture toughness is a function of the orientation
of the specimen and the notch relative to the part, so toughness is identified
by three letters: L for the length direction, T for the width (long transverse)
direction, and S for the thickness (short transverse) direction. The first letter
denotes the specimen direction perpendicular to the crack; the second letter,
the direction of the notch.
Elongation is defined as the percentage increase in the distance between
two gauge marks of a specimen tested to tensile failure. Typical elongation
values for some aluminum alloys are given in the Aluminum Design Manual,
Part V, Table 5. Minimum elongation values for most alloys and product forms
are given in Aluminum Standards and Data and ASTM specifications. They
are dependent on the original gauge length (2 in. [50 mm] is standard for
wrought products) and original dimensions, such as thickness, of the specimen.
Elongation values are greater for thicker specimens. For example, typical
elongation values for 1100-O material are 35% for a �1� in. [1.6 mm] thick 16
specimen, and 45% for a in. [12.5 mm] diameter specimen. Elongation is 1�2
also very dependent on temperature, being lowest at room temperature and
increasing at both lower and higher temperatures.
The elongation of aluminum alloys tends to be less than mild carbon steels.
For example, while A36 steel has a minimum elongation of 20%, the comparable
aluminum alloy, 6061-T6, has a minimum elongation requirement of
8% or 10%, depending on the product form. The elongation of annealed
tempers is greater than that of strain-hardened or heat-treated tempers, while
the strength of annealed tempers is less. Therefore, annealed material is more
workable and has the capacity to undergo more severe forming operations
without cracking.
All other things being equal, the greater the elongation, the greater the
ductility. Unfortunately, other things usually aren�t equal for different alloys,
so elongation isn�t a very useful indicator of ductility. The percentage reduction
in area caused by necking in a tensile specimen tested to failure is similar
to elongation in this regard. Unlike elongation, however, the reduction in area
is not usually reported for aluminum tensile tests and is not generally available
to designers.
Probably the most accurate measure of ductility (we saved the best for last)
is the ratio of the tensile strength of a notched specimen to the tensile yield
strength, called the notch-yield ratio (119, 120). Various standard notchedspecimen
specifications are available, but 60# notches with a sharp (0.0005
in. [0.01 mm] radius) tip seem to provide good discrimination between various
alloys. The notched-specimen strength alone is not very useful since
stress raisers in actual structures aren�t likely to match the test specimen�s
notch. But if the notched strength is less than the yield strength of the ma