aluminum or aluminium
- A silvery-white, ductile
metal, having good conductive
and thermal properties, and used to form many hard, light, alloys
which are corrosion-resistant due to a protective oxide
that forms on its surface.
Aluminum melts at 1220°F (660.2°C) and can be cast
and welded. It is available
in a wide variety of colors (possible
through a process called
anodizing), and is often
used in paints, foil,
jewelry, and welding and is used
when lightness combined with strength is desired. Aluminum is
derived from the mineral bauxite. Although bauxite is the most
abundant metal in the earth's crust, the processes necessary to
creating aluminum were not developed until 1825, and aluminum
was not used extensively until the twentieth century.
Atomic symbol Al; atomic number 13; atomic weight 26.98; specific gravity 2.69; valence 3.
This metal, known as aluminum in the United States, is known as aluminium in most other countries.
Examples of works using aluminum:
R. Buckminster Fuller (American, 1895-1983), Dymaxion Dwelling Machine, Wichita, Kansas, 1944-46, model in aluminum and plastic, height 20 inches (50.8 cm), diameter 36 inches (91.4 cm), Museum of Modern Art, NY. See architect, architecture, and dome.
Alexander Calder (American, 1898-1976), Spiny, 1942, sheet aluminum, painted stabile, 26 x 30 x 14 3/8 inches (66 x 76.1 x 36.5 cm), Museum of Modern Art, NY.
Hans Coray (Swiss, 1906-1991), Landi Chair, 1938, bent and pressed aluminum, and rubber, 30 1/2 x 21 1/4 x 22 1/8 inches (77.5 x 54 x 56.2 cm), manufactured by P. & W. Blattmann Metallwaren-Fabrik, Switzerland. See design, furniture, and Swiss art.
Claes Oldenburg (American, 1929-) and Coosje van Bruggen (Dutch-American, 1942-), Torn Notebook, 1992, fabricated 1996, painted aluminum, stainless steel armature, notebook: 21 feet 10 inches x 23 feet x 26 feet 1 inches, north page: 10 feet x 14 feet 1 inch x 7 feet 1 inch, south page: 11 feet 8 inches x 8 feet 7 inches x 8 feet 2 inches, Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden, U of Nebraska, Lincoln.
