Why is a mechanical mincer made of silumin 10 times cheaper than its stainless steel counterpart? If only because the threads of the clamping screw made of this aluminum-silicon alloy can tear off after the first attempt to secure the classic kitchen appliance to the countertop.
Nevertheless, silumin accounts for approximately 55% of the world's aluminum metal industry. It is used to make water taps and faucets, pots, pans, locks, furniture fittings, and the cheapest costume jewelry. Tabletop sculptures of this inexpensive material were popular 50-70 years ago. Widespread, of course, and more serious use. For example, in pistons, cylinders and body parts of car and aircraft engines. The main positive property of the alloy - lightness - is in demand there.
For example, silumin is used in the cylinder block of the Mercedes Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut sports coupe, recently sold to a collector for $143 million. The 1955 model has gained a lot in price by now, but even in its creation, such a car could never be called a mass-produced product. In the rarity engine, despite its venerable age, silumin precisely does not split, as in modern Chinese plumbing products. Because the fusion of alloys is not the same. It's all about the proportions between the components.
The proportion of silicon can vary from 4 to 22%. The higher it is, the more pronounced the material's dark gray hue. Silumin is stronger than pure aluminum, but the inherent ductility of the metal decreases as the presence of silicon increases. The material becomes brittle.
Silicon is the second most common element in the Earth's crust after oxygen. Its dioxide, silica, is the base of sand. As the proverb says, you can't build a house on sand. However, silicon raw material is cheaper than aluminum, so manufacturers of consumer goods are tempted to shift the balance of the alloy's chemical composition in its direction. The brittleness and porosity of the material increases, but the production cost decreases. The short lifespan of products in a consumer society is not a minus, but a plus. They will buy a new one sooner.
For the last half century, silumin has become a symbol of trash, though at one time it made a critical contribution to the victory of the Soviet Union over Hitler's Germany. The plant in Kamensk-Uralsky, which from September 1941 to January 1943 was the only aluminum plant in the country, provided 108,000 Soviet planes and 95,000 tanks with silumin. This equipment was quite inexpensive to produce, but at the same time it met the highest army requirements.
The current skew towards low-quality consumer goods could be removed by the return of state standards (GOST) with a clearly defined optimum alloy formula for a particular product, including imported ones. Fortunately today there are mathematical models, by the way, Russian authorship, which instantly and with great accuracy make such calculations. Although the negative consumer image of silumin is probably no longer correctable.
