Aluminum Nail Lesson

Aluminum Nail at a glance

Background

Aluminum is a versatile material widely used in construction because it’s easy to shape and work with. But did you know that how you heat aluminum can change how strong or soft it is? In this lesson, we'll explore how heat treatments can affect aluminum nails.

You’ll have two nails to examine. Both are made from the same type of aluminum alloy, but they’ve been treated differently. One nail is untreated, and the other has gone through a special heat treatment process.

In this lesson, you'll compare the untreated nail to the annealed nail to see how different treatments affect their strength. This hands-on demonstration will show you how engineers and builders use these techniques to get the right strength and flexibility for different projects.

Lesson Objective

Students will explore how different heat treatments affect the strength and flexibility of aluminum. By comparing untreated and heat-treated aluminum nails, students will observe how the processing methods alter the material's properties.

Experiment Description

Students will drop both untreated and heat-treated aluminum nails from waist height onto a concrete floor and listen to the sounds produced. They will then test the nails' flexibility by bending them with their hands or driving them into a block of wood to compare their relative strengths.

Materials List

Items provided in the kit:
- Untreated aluminum nail
- Heat-treated aluminum nail
Items to be supplies by teacher/school:
- Block of Wood
- Concrete Wall or Floor

Safety Precautions

Wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from debris and ensure you handle the nails carefully to avoid injury during the bending and driving tests.

The Experiment

To observe some differences between the two nails, drop each one from waist height onto a concrete floor and listen to the sound. The weak nail impacts with a “thunk,” while the hardened one emits a sharp “ping” and bounces upon impact.

Then do one of the following:

(1) Try to bend the nails with your bare hands — one is easy and one is difficult.

(2) Try driving each nail into a block of wood. The difference should be obvious.

So why use aluminum?

For one, it's highly recyclable. It’s actually one of the most sustainable metals out there.

Additionally, it’s lightweight and strong. Pound for pound, it’s actually stronger than steel. It’s around 1/3rd the weight of steel, but it can carry 2/3rds of the same load that structural steel carries.

Steel nails are cheaper and stronger, but should never be used for the installation of aluminum siding. When the aluminum siding is in contact with the iron in the nail, it forms a “battery” in which the iron rapidly corrodes. When the heads disappear from the nails, the aluminum siding falls from the house.