Aluminium Structures General Aspects of Design

Abstract

ONE of the indices of gauging the industrial expansion of a nation is through its production and per capita consumption of valuable materials. In this connection comparisons between steel and aluminium appear quite rev-ealing. While steel, because of its valuable physical and engineering properties, has so far dominated the world as the ruling metal of this modern age, the claims of aluminium, cannot be overlooked or sidetracked. In 1959 the estimated world production of steel was 314 million metric tons, which represented an increase of 97% in world output over the 1949 figure. During this 10-year period aluminium production increased from 1,184,000 metric tons to 4.1 million metric tons, that is 246%, or nearly 2.5 times the rate of growth of steel. For an equitable comparison on a volumetric basis the 1959 figure for world production of aluminium works out to 11,497,000 metric tons or 3.7% of world steel production. On the dome-stic side the country's production capacity just prior to Second World War was 3,000 tons, while by the end of 1959 the annual primary capacity of aluminium had reached 18,100 tons. This production is not at all sufficient since the country currently spends nearly Rs. 200,000 daily for procuring the metal from abroad. It is therefore very necessary to stop this drain on an already weak for-eign exchange situation.