Some questions about Aluminum Alloys...

Hello.
I'm attempting to write a story set in Eric Flint's 1632 universe (www.1632.org). In the story, my characters are students who are working on part of a rocketry project. As they design their new rocket, they find that the material they are using, steel, is too heavy for the design and they have to find something lighter.
Now, the obvious answer to this question would be aluminum. But the canon states that the nation they are in can't produce aluminum from bauxite ore yet. I think I found a way around this.
There should be plenty of aluminum already in the universe - in the form of cans and foil (both the Reynolds Wrap type and foil pans). My question is this - can aluminum from cans (alloys 3004 and 5182) and foil be melted down and combined with other metals to form a new alloy that would be suitable for use in unguided rockets?
Thank you in advance.

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What's wrong with just using 5182? It's strong, corrosion resistant, and weldable.

hi, since they are having problems getting aluminium in the country where they are, there are a variety of options.However,since their main design consideration is weight , why don't they do a little research on glass /fibre reinforced plastics, and carry out some experiments in relation to end use perfomance,which for them, is building rocket.And see how it goes, because the GRPs are rapidly replacing aluminium and steel in designs. Sean wrote:
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Thanks for the replies.
However, I don't think either of the options presented will work. 5182 would be nice, but there is isn't a lot of it in pop cans. Well, there isn't a lot of aluminum in pop cans, but to get enough 5182, they would need a LOT of pop cans unless there was a method of melting 3004 and adding ingredients to make it somewhat close to 5182.
And using glass-reinforced polymers wouldn't work either. This has to be something that can be done in the 17th Century, which is one of the conditions of working in the Universe.
I know it makes things difficult, which is why I'm trying to find a way to work with the aluminum that would be on-hand from things such as cans, foil, and siding.
Thank you again.
emeka snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote:
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