6061 is a precipitation-hardened aluminium alloy, containing magnesium and silicon as its major alloying elements.
Originally called "Alloy 61S", it was developed in 1935.It has good mechanical properties, exhibits good weldability, and
is very commonly extruded (second in popularity only to 6063).It is one of the most common alloys of aluminium for
general-purpose use.It is commonly available in pre-tempered grades such as 6061-O (annealed), tempered grades such
as 6061-T6 (solutionized and artificially aged) and 6061-T651 (solutionized, stress-relieved stretched and artificially aged).
Machinability:
Aluminium / Aluminum 6061 alloy has good machinability in harder T 4 and T6 tempers. It can be machined in annealed temper.
Forming:
Aluminium / Aluminum 6061 alloy can be easily formed and worked in the annealed condition. The standard methods
are used to perform bending, stamping, deep drawing, and spinning operations.
Welding:
Aluminium / Aluminum 6061 alloy has excellent weldability. Thinner sections can be welded using gas tungsten arc welding
technique. Heavier sections can be welded using gas metal arc welding technique. Alloy 4043 filler wire can be used to
achieve good result, but it will affect T 6 properties.
Heat Treatment:
Aluminium / Aluminum 6061 alloy is heat treated at 533°C (990°F) for a sufficient period of time followed by quenching in
water. Precipitation hardening process can be performed at 160°C (320°F) for 18 h followed by air cooling. This process is
again repeated at 177°C (350°F) for 8 h followed by cooling in air.
Forging:
Aluminium / Aluminum 6061 alloy is forged at 233 to 483°C (750 to 900°F).
Hot Working:
Aluminium / Aluminum 6061 alloy is hot worked at 260 to 372°C (500 to 700°F).
Cold Working:
Aluminium / Aluminum 6061 alloy is cold worked in the O temper condition. It can also be cold formed in the T 4 and T 6 tempers.
Annealing:
Annealing of Aluminium / Aluminum 6061 alloy can be performed at 775°F for 2 to 3 h followed by controlled cooling at
10 to 260°C (50 to 500°F) per hour, and air cooling.
Aging:
Aging of Aluminium / Aluminum 6061 alloy can be performed at 177°C (350°F) for 8 h. It is then cooled in air.
Applications:
Aluminium / Aluminum 6061 alloy is used in the following applications:
Truck and marine components
Furniture
General structural and high pressure applications
Pipelines
Heavy-duty structures
Railroad cars
Tank fittings
Chemical Composition
The aluminum industry has created a system using a four-digit numerical designation to identify wrought aluminum alloys.
The first digit indicates the major alloying element. The second digit indicates whether there was a modification in the
basic alloy. The third and fourth digit indicates the specific alloy. The following represent the various groups:
| 1XXX |
Aluminum 99% or greater |
| 2XXX |
Copper - major alloying element |
| 3XXX |
Manganese - major alloying element |
| 5XXX |
Magnesium - major alloying element |
| 6XXX |
Magnesium and silicon - major alloying elements |
| 7XXX |
Zinc -major alloying element |
Aluminum Grades:
1000 series: 1035,1040,1050,1060,1070,1080,1090,1098,1100,1230,1435,1260,1170,1275,1285,1385
2000 series: 2001,2002,2011,2014,2017,2117,2218,2519,2024,2224,2025,2030,2031,2036,2090,2091
3000 series: 3002,3003,3004,3103,3203,3303,3105,3006,3007,3107,3008,3009,3015,3016
5000 series: 5005,5205,5006,5010,5013,5014,5016,5017,5040,5043,5050,5150,5251,5351,5451,5052,5083
5352,5552,5254,5754,5856,5456,5283
6000 series: 6101,6201,6003,6103,6105,6205,6006,6106,6110,6061,6060,6063,6863,6081,6082,6162,6863
7000 series: 7001,7003,7005,7108,7129,7146,7050,7472,7075,7076,7277,7178,7278,7091,7277
8000 series: 8001,8004,8006,8011,8111,8014,8030,8130,8177,8079,8081,8280,8091
Aluminum Temper:
O,H12,H13,H14,H16,H18,H24,H32,H34,H19,H38,G36,F,H111,H112,H192,H392,H393,H321
T1,T3,T4,T8,T72,T451,T42,T62,T5,T6,T36,T351,T651,T851,T3511,T913,T94,T7351,T89,T4510,T6510,T8510,T8511,
T4511,T52,T5511,T6511,T54,T73
Aluminium/Aluminum Alloy Process
Aluminium/Aluminum Alloy Pipe Package
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