The preceeding presentation explained the compositions of the zinc alloys. Now we can examine the properties that these combinations give rise to.
In doing so, we must first understand the importance of each property to the design of any component. One must consider each of the properties individually so as to gain an understanding of cumulative effects and the relative importance of each property to the final application. The most effective way to attack the problem is to analyze the part's requirements with respect to applied stresses, environmental and operating conditions and economic constraints.
While there are many mathematical models available to enable numerical analysis of property evaluations, they all rely on the same basic principle: The Total Systems Approach. That is, the consideration of all aspects of design.
Properties evaluation is a critical step in this process. One must consider physical and mechanical properties as well as other materials attributes such as corrosion resistance and machinability. The information presented herein will provide a brief overview of the basic material properties. It will assist you in understanding the versatility and strengths of zinc alloys and, hopefully, spark some ideas of how you might use these alloys in your products.
In our examination of these properties we will compare the alloys to each other and to other, competing materials. In some cases comparable data for other materials does not exist. This is particularly true for the polymers since in many cases, new or different, measurement scales and methods were developed or used specifically for plastics. Let us start with the physical properties.