Since the majority of die castings are made from one aluminum alloy or another, it stands to reason that the ASTM B85/B85m for aluminum die castings is one of Document Center’s top-sellers on the topic. The publication, “Standard Specification for Aluminum-Alloy Die Castings,” has just been revised. We’ll take a look at the document itself and the changes that are included in the new 2013 Edition.
The specification covers 13 of the most commonly used die cast alloy compositions. They can be used for all applications except aerospace industry usage. As referenced in the document number itself, the ASTM B85/B85m covers measurements in both inch/pound and metric formats.
Tabular information covers the following UNS designations (plus the AA and ASTM equivalent numbers):
- UNS A03600
- UNS A13600
- UNS A03800
- UNS A03800
- UNS A03830
- UNS A03840
- UNS A03900
- UNS A23900
- UNS A03920
- UNS A04130
- UNS A14130
- UNS A34430
- UNS A05180
The specification provides you with information on ordering; materials; manufacture; quality assurance; chemical composition; mechanical properties; dimensions, mass and permissible variations; general quality; source inspection; rejection and retest; certification; product marking; packaging and package marking; and the characteristics of die casting alloys. Two annexes cover the basis for inclusion of property limits and the acceptance criteria for inclusion of new aluminum and aluminum alloys in the ASTM B85/B85m specification.
Two additional Appendixes are included in the specification. X1 contains Table X1.1 on characteristics and X2 has tables X2.1 (inch-pound) and X2.2 (metric) for mechanical properties. Your 2013 update is centered on revision of properties in tables X2.1 and X2.2. And FYI: Table 1 on Chemical requirements was editorially corrected in August 2013.
Of course, all ASTM standards can be purchased from Document Center Inc., an authorized reseller of the ASTM collection. They are provided in both paper format as well as for pdf download. And quite frequently, ASTM editions are available in redline editions so that you can identify all changes from the previous issue easily.
Just go to the Document Center webstore, www.document-center.com, and search for the standards you need. Or, conversely, you’re welcome to get in touch with us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com). We’ve been selling the ASTM standards since the 1980’s and have the expertise to assist you with your standards requirements and questions. Make Document Center your Standards Experts!
