Investigating the Effects of Solution Treatment Parameters and Artificial Aging on Hardness Improvement of Precipitation-Hardened 6061 Aluminum Alloy

Azwar Yunus, Akhyar Akhyar, Iskandar Hasanuddin, Agus Sasmito

Abstract


This study investigates the impact of solution treatment parameters such as temperature, holding time, and quenching media on the hardness enhancement of wrought aluminum alloy 6061-T6 through precipitation hardening. The objectives of this research are to analyze the influence of solution treatment parameters on hardness enhancement, explore the correlation between the solutioning step and the artificial aging process, and optimize the heat treatment process for improved hardness values. Specimens of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy initially exhibited a hardness of 102 HV. After heating to 500°C with holding times of 45, 60, and 75 minutes, followed by quenching in water and SAE 40 oil, Vickers hardness testing revealed significant changes: hardness dropped to 52 HV after solution treatment, then increased to 63 HV (21.15% increase) for 60 minutes and 64 HV (23.08% increase) for 75 minutes. After artificial aging at 210°C for 120, 180, and 240 minutes, the maximum hardness recorded was 113 HV, marking a 10.78% increase from the initial hardness. The quenching medium also influenced hardness; specimens quenched in SAE 40 oil showed improved hardness compared to those quenched in water, likely due to slower cooling rates that allow for better precipitate formation. The increase in hardness is closely linked to microstructural changes during heat treatment. Solution treatment promotes the dissolution of alloying elements, leading to the formation of fine precipitates during aging. These precipitates impede dislocation movement, enhancing the alloy's strength through precipitation hardening. Thus, the density and distribution of these precipitates significantly contribute to the overall hardness enhancement observed in the 6061-T6 aluminum alloy


Keywords


6061-T6 aluminum alloy, solution treatment, hardness enhancement, precipitation hardening, quenching media, Vickers hardness, aging process, microstructural changes, precipitate formation

Full Text:

PDF

References


B. Stojanovic, М. Bukvic, and I. Epler, “Application of aluminum and aluminum alloys in engineering,†Appl. Eng. Lett., vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 52–62, 2018, doi: 10.18485/aeletters.2018.3.2.2.

I. J. Polmear, “Light alloys: From traditional alloys to nanocrystals,†Light Alloy. From Tradit. Alloy. to Nanocrystals, pp. 1–421, 2005, doi: 10.1016/B978-0-7506-6371-7.X5000-2.

A. M. and L. Russell K.L., Structure Property Relations in Nonferrous Metals: Cu, Ag, and Au, chapter 18. 2005.

J. William D. Callister, Materials Science and Engineering An Introduction, vol. 7. 2007. doi: 10.1007/BF01184995.

G. F. V. Voort, “Atlas of Aluminum Microstructures,†Anal. Charact. Aluminum, Steel, Superalloys, pp. 55–156, 2005, doi: 10.1201/9781420030365-6.

R. Verma and T. Taneja, “Aluminum Alloys Consideration in Lightweighting Vehicle StructuralComponents: Material Selection and Design Considerations,†Rev. Artic. J. Adv. Res. Automot. Technol. Transp. Syst. Copyr., vol. 2024, no. 1, pp. 1–6, 2024, [Online]. Available: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7904-0440

I. Guzmán-Flores et al., “Enhancing the Mechanical Properties of a 6061 Aluminum Alloy by Heat Treatment from the Perspective of Taguchi Design-of-Experiments,†Appl. Sci., vol. 14, no. 13, 2024, doi: 10.3390/app14135407.

J. Hirsch, “Aluminium alloys for automotive application,†Mater. Sci. Forum, vol. 242, no. October, pp. 33–50, 1997, doi: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/msf.242.33.

S. M. Rajaa, H. A. Abdulhadi, K. S. Jabur, and G. R. Mohammed, “Aging Time Effects on the Mechanical Properties of Al 6061-T6 Alloy,†Eng. Technol. Appl. Sci. Res., vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 3113–3115, 2018, doi: 10.48084/etasr.2102.

M. Kumar, M. M. Baloch, M. I. Abro, S. A. Memon, and A. D. Chandio, “Effect of Artificial Aging Temperature on Mechanical Properties of 6061 Aluminum Alloy,†Mehran Univ. Res. J. Eng. Technol., vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 31–36, 2019, doi: 10.22581/muet1982.1901.03.

R. Kahlenberg, T. Wojcik, G. Falkinger, A. L. Krejci, B. Milkereit, and E. Kozeschnik, “On the precipitation mechanisms of β-Mg2Si during continuous heating of AA6061,†2023. doi: 10.1016/j.actamat.2023.119345.

Y. Sun et al., “The effect of solution temperature on the precipitates evolution and aging hardening response of Al-15%Mg2Si(-1%Cu) alloys,†J. Mater. Res. Technol., vol. 17, pp. 1330–1337, 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.jmrt.2022.01.094.

A. H. Naronikar, H. N. A. Jamadagni, A. Simha, and B. Saikiran, “Optimizing the Heat Treatment Parameters of Al-6061 Required for Better Formability,†Mater. Today Proc., vol. 5, no. 11, pp. 24240–24247, 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.matpr.2018.10.219.

I. M. Masoud, T. Abu Mansour, and J. A. Al-Jarrah, “Effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and hardening properties of 6061aluminum alloy,†J. Appl. Sci. Res., vol. 8, no. 10, pp. 5106–5113, 2012.

S. Li, F. Shen, Y. Guo, H. Liu, and C. Yu, “Influence of Artificial Aging Time on Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of Porthole Die Extruded 6063 Aluminum Alloy,†Metals (Basel)., vol. 13, no. 9, 2023, doi: 10.3390/met13091621.

Z. Sui et al., “Effect of Aging Treatment on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of As-Extruded AA6063 Aluminum Alloy,†J. Mater. Eng. Perform., no. Ref 23, 2024, doi: 10.1007/s11665-024-09547-8.

X. Jia, Z. Fan, Z. Luo, G. Hu, and H. Zhang, “Impact of Heat Treatment Parameters on the Plastic Properties of 6061 Aluminum Alloy,†Materials (Basel)., vol. 18, no. 8, 2025, doi: 10.3390/ma18081705.

N. Korde Zedin, “The Influence of Quenching Media and Aging Time on Microstructure and Mechanical Behavior of 6061 Aluminum Alloy,†Eng. Technol. J., vol. 33, no. 8A, pp. 1757–1770, 2015, doi: 10.30684/etj.2015.108821.

F. Ozturk, A. Sisman, S. Toros, S. Kilic, and R. C. Picu, “Influence of aging treatment on mechanical properties of 6061 aluminum alloy,†Mater. Des., vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 972–975, 2010, doi: 10.1016/j.matdes.2009.08.017.

A. B. Hardness, “Standard Test Method for Microindentation Hardness of Materials,†ASTM Comm. West Conshohocken, PA, USA, vol. 384, p. 399, 1999, doi: 10.1520/E0384-17.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30811/jpl.v23i4.7076

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Bookmark and Share


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Lisensi Creative Commons

Ciptaan disebarluaskan di bawah Lisensi Creative Commons Atribusi-BerbagiSerupa 4.0 Internasional .

 

Alamat Surat :

Politeknik Negeri Lhokseumawe
Jl. Banda Aceh-Medan Km 280
Buketrata, Lhokseumawe, 24301, Aceh, Indonesia