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Abrasive Abrasives Abrasifs
Abrasives are grains of hard material (e. g. boron carbide or corundum) which are used as grinding materials. For this purpose they are often bound on grinding tools, but they are also. in lapping liquids or for supersonic polishing. One distinguishes between natural and synthetic abrasives.
Additiv Additive Additif
An additive is an admixture that is added to a substance in order to modify its chemical properties.

Information on the chemical behaviour of aluminium

Kleben Adhesive bonding Collage
Adhesive bonding is the joining together of two metals or a metal and a non-metal using a thin layer of adhesive. The strength of the adhesive bond is determined by the bond strength between the adhesive and the material to be bonded (adhesion) and the mechanical strength of the adhesive itself (cohesion).

Further information on the adhesive bonding of aluminium

Hilfsstoff Adjuvant Elément d’appoint
Zusatzstoff Admixture Ajout
Adsorptionsfärbung Adsorption dyeing Coloration par adsorption
During adsorption dyening (also dip dyeing), an aluminium part is immersed in a solution containing organic or inorganic dyes, which leads to a colouring of the oxide film. The colours applied in this way are very lightproof, which is ideal for outdoor applications. An added advantage of this process is the large choice of colours available.
Advertorial Advertorial Publireportage
The English term advertorial is a combination of the words advertisement and editorial.
Advertorials are advertisements which are released as a part of the information content of a medium. They cannot always be clearly identified as means of advertising or of public relation. Since advertorials are supposed to have the appearance of editorial articles, their style and layout are very similar to actual editorial pieces.
Swiss and German publication laws demand a clear separation of editorial content and advertising. Therefore advertorials have to be marked as advertisements.
Affinität Affinity Affinité
Affinity is the tendency of materials for a certain chemical reaction to occur or for certain elements to combine with each other.
Aushärten Age hardening Trempe par précipitation
Age hardening is an effective method of increasing strength, but it is only possible with age-hardenable alloys. If such alloys are subjected to solution heat treatment, quenching and ageing, alloying components precipitate out in the form of an extremely fine distribution of particles that block the slip planes and thus obstruct dislocation movements within the aluminium structure.

Further information on age hardening

Aushärtbare Legierung Age-hardenable alloys Alliages trempant
Alloys are said to be age hardenable if their tensile strength can be increased by heat treatment.

Further information on the different types of alloy

Auslagern Ageing Vieillessement
With aluminium alloys, foreign atoms that are part of the alloying constituents can precipitate out of solid solution as small particles. If such precipitation occurs after exposure at room temperature, it is called natural ageing, whereas artificial ageing describes exposure at slightly elevated temperature. As a result of the critical size and/or the phase boundary, this leads to an increase in strength. Generally speaking, ageing is the final stage of a heat treatment.
Agenda 21 Agenda 21 Agenda 21
Agenda 21 is a programme of action that contains measures for tackling global development problems in the twenty-first century.

Further information on Agenda 21

Alitieren Aliting Calorisation
The application of a protective coating with a high content of aluminium on other materials (particularly steel and iron). This coating is achieved by diffusion, that is to say by annealing, in contact with aluminium powder by approximately 800 °C.
Alkaliverbindungen Alkaline compounds Combinaisons alcalines
Alkalis are chemical compounds containing an alkali metal (lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, caesium or francium) and a hydrogen-oxygen ion, a so-called hydroxyl base. Aqueous solutions of such compounds show “basic” behaviour.
Legierung Alloy Alliage
An alloy is a mixture of the basis metal with one or more other so-called ‘alloying elements’, i.e. with other metallic or non-metallic substances. Aluminium is not usually used in the form of refined aluminium, but as an alloy.

Further information on (aluminium) alloys and the most important alloys for aluminium

Alpha-Mischkristall Alpha solid solution Solution solide alpha
An alpha solid solution is the name given to the solid solution that solidifies out first when an alloy melt cools down.
Alaun Alum Alun
Alum is a chemical compound of aluminium and sulphur that occurs naturally and has been widely used for a broad range of applications since antiquity.

Further information on Alum

Tonerde Alumina Alumine
Alumina is the term commonly used for aluminium oxide, a hard, high melting point mineral that is extracted from bauxite; aluminium is produced by subjecting alumina to fused-salt electrolysis

Further information on alumina

Aluminium Aluminium Aluminium
Aluminium is the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust. It is silvery white in colour, has a low density and is corrosion resistant. Aluminium was first discovered in the eighteenth century and is now the most widely used metal after steel; on a weight-by-weight basis, it is a better conductor of electricity than copper.
Aluminiumchlorid Aluminium chloride Chlorures d'aluminium
Aluminium chloride is a compound of aluminium and chlorine in the form of crystals that are readily soluble in water. It is mainly used as a catalyst in the manufacture of organic substances or for cracking petroleum into benzene and heavy oils.
Aluminium-Verbundwerkstoffe Aluminium composites Alliages d'aluminium composites
Generally speaking, composites are materials that contain metallic, ceramic or polymeric components in the form of particles, fibres or layers. Aluminium composites have a matrix that compromises unalloyed aluminium or an alloy with a second component embedded in it. The most important dispersions used are silicon-carbon and Al2O3.
Aluminiumschaum Aluminium foam Mousse d'aluminium
Aluminium foam is strongly expanded (foamed) aluminium; it has a honeycomb structure and is thus highly porous. It is a particularly lightweight material that is used for thermally insulating and impact-absorbing elements as well filters.

Further information about aluminium foam

Aluminiumoxid Aluminium oxide Oxyde d'aluminium
Aluminiumfarbe Aluminium paint Peinture aluminium
The term ‘aluminium paint’ is used to describe lacquers and coatings that contain aluminium powder as well as lacquer binders (mostly synthetic resins). The aluminium powder comprises extremely fine flakes and is the material that determines the colour (silver white or silver grey). Once the paint has been applied, the flakes lie on top of each other in layers five to ten flakes deep. This makes it very difficult for moisture or corrosive substances to force their way through to the underlying metal. Aluminium paints thus have excellent resistance to the elements and to corrosion.
Aluminiumpulver Aluminium powder Poudre d'aluminium
Aluminium powder is the finest available form of aluminium. The small, granular metal particles are silvery white in colour. Aluminium powder is produced using various processes in primary smelters, secondary smelters and at aluminium-powder manufacturing plants.

Read more about aluminium powder

Aluminiumhütten Aluminium smelters Usines sidérurgiques d'aluminium
Aluminium smelters are production plants where aluminium is extracted from alumina oder aus new scrap und used scrap Aluminium gewonnen wird.
Aluminiumgefüge Aluminium structure Structure cristalline de l'aluminium
The interior of aluminium and other metals and alloys comprises minute crystals. In their entirety, these crystals are characteristic of the metal and the whole is referred to as the structure. Thus, a semi-finished or finished product will have properties that are predetermined before it is even made.
Alu-Schmelztester Aluminium-melt tester Test d'aluminium en fusion
An aluminium-melt tester is a device used in a process for determining the hydrogen content of molten aluminium. It involves isolating a molten test sample and observing the time and temperature at which the first gas bubbles appear. These observations coupled with a knowledge of the chemical composition of the melt enable the hydrogen content to be determined.
Aluminothermie Aluminothermy Aluminothermie
Aluminothermy is a process for obtaining otherwise-difficult-to-extract metals with high melting points from their oxides. In this process, aluminium is heated and combines with the oxide from the ore, which is thus reduced to the metal.
Alzheimer Alzheimer 's disease Alzheimer (Maladie d')
Alzheimer’s disease involves a gradual and irreversible loss of memory that leads to a complete loss of perception of time and space, and, in a matter of a few years, the ability to care for oneself. It is also referred to as ‘senile dementia’.

Further information on Alzheimer's disease

Anisotropie Anisotropy Anisotropie
Anisotropy is the term for the directionality of several physical and chemical properties of materials. In the case of metals anisotropy is due to the directional setting of its crystals (texture) which is caused by the production process (e. g. rolling, forging , deep drawing). It influences the elastic and plastic formability of the materials, depending on the direction of the deformation.
Anode Anode Anode
An anode is a positively charged electrode. During electrolysis, negatively charged ions migrate to the anode during the dissociation process. The anode is the counter electrode of the cathode.

Further information on the anode's function during electrolysis

Anodische Oxidation Anodising Anodisation
Anodising is a process for increasing the thickness of the protective oxide layer on aluminium. The component to be anodised is immersed in an electrically conductive liquid medium (an electrolyte) and then connected to a source of direct current. In the resultant voltage field, oxygen-containing anions migrate to the aluminium surface, where they react with the material and form aluminium oxide. Hydrogen forms at the cathode and escapes in gaseous form. The resultant oxide layer comprises an extremely thin layer, the so-called ‘barrier layer’, which is almost free from pores, extremely dense and electrically insulating, and a much thicker layer, which is a slightly porous and electrically conducting covering layer, which forms as a result of a chemical reaction between the barrier layer and the electrolyte.

Further information on anodising

Eloxieren Anodising Anodiser
Anodising is a synonym for anodic oxidation. In German speaking countries, the term ‘Eloxal’ is commonly used; it derives from the German expression for ‘electrolytic oxidation of aluminium’.
Lichtbogenbolzenschweissen Arc stud welding Soudage à l’arc des goujons
Stud welding aims at joining stud-shaped elements (e. g. bolts, sockets, hooks, eyes) permanently with larger components. For this purpose an arc load is ignited between the workpiece and the face side of the stud. Both pieces will be slightly surface-fused and can be joined with light contact pressure.
Argon-Helium-Schutzgasgemische Argon-helium inert gases Argon-hélium (gaz inerte)
Inert gas mixtures on an argon-hélium basis are applied in welding to avoid oxidation of the materials in process. Compared to other gas mixtures used for that purpose, argon-helium mixtures allow higher melding speeds and higher energy densities.
Warmauslagern Artificial ageing Vieillissement à chaud
Ageing generally is carried out as the final stage of a heat treatment. ‘Artificial ageing’ is the term used to describe ageing at temperatures of 100-200 °C, which produces a range of metastable phases; these are accompanied in turn by hardening effects, hence the expression ‘age hardening’. The increase in strength is somewhat less than with natural ageing.
Atomaufbau Atomic structure Structure atomique
The nucleus is at the centre of an atom; it contains almost all of the mass of the atom and the whole of its positive charge. It is made up of protons, which carry the positive charge, and neutrons, which are electrically neutral. The negatively charged electrons revolve around the atomic nucleus and thus take up almost all of the volume of an atom.

Further information on the structure of atoms

Autoklav Autoclave Autoclave
An autoclave is a vessel in which one can increase the pressure and temperature.
Automotiv Automotive Automobile
Automotive is the generic term for any vehicle driven by its own power machine.
Axiale Prozesse Axial processes Procédé axial
In material processing we denominate those machiningoperations as ‘axial’, which run into the direction of the tool’s axis of rotation. Examples for axial processes are drilling, thread cutting, reaming.

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