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6061 aluminum
 
 
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6061 is a precipitation hardening aluminium
Aluminium

Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white and ductile member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al; its atomic number is 13....
 alloy
Alloy

An alloy is a partial or complete solid solution of one or more chemical element in a metallic matrix. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may be homogeneous in distribution depending on thermal history....
, containing magnesium
Magnesium

Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, atomic weight 24.3050 and common oxidation number +2.Magnesium, an alkaline earth metal, is the ninth most abundance of the chemical elements in the universe by mass....
 and silicon
Silicon

Silicon is the most common metalloid. It is a chemical element, which has the symbol Si and atomic number 14. The atomic mass is 28.0855....
 as its major alloying elements. It has good mechanical properties and exhibits good weldability. 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 (solutionized), 6061-T6 (solutionized and artificially aged), 6061-T651 (solutionized, stress-relieved stretched and artificially aged).

has a density
Density

The density of a material is defined as its mass per unit volume. The symbol of density is ....
 of 2.70 g/cm³ (0.0975 lb/in³).

alloy composition of 6061 is:

mechanical properties of 6061 depend greatly on the temper
Tempering

Tempering is a heat treatment technique for metals, alloys and Toughened glass. In steels, tempering is done to "toughen" the metal by transforming brittle martensite into bainite or a combination of ferrite and cementite....
, or heat treatment, of the material.

aled 6061 (6061-O temper) has maximum tensile strength
Tensile strength

Tensile strength , or is the Stress at which a material breaks or permanently deforms. Tensile strength is an Intensive and extensive properties and, consequently, does not depend on the size of the test specimen....
 no more than 18,000 psi (125 MPa), and maximum yield strength no more than 8,000 psi (55 MPa).






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6061 is a precipitation hardening aluminium
Aluminium

Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white and ductile member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al; its atomic number is 13....
 alloy
Alloy

An alloy is a partial or complete solid solution of one or more chemical element in a metallic matrix. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may be homogeneous in distribution depending on thermal history....
, containing magnesium
Magnesium

Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, atomic weight 24.3050 and common oxidation number +2.Magnesium, an alkaline earth metal, is the ninth most abundance of the chemical elements in the universe by mass....
 and silicon
Silicon

Silicon is the most common metalloid. It is a chemical element, which has the symbol Si and atomic number 14. The atomic mass is 28.0855....
 as its major alloying elements. It has good mechanical properties and exhibits good weldability. 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 (solutionized), 6061-T6 (solutionized and artificially aged), 6061-T651 (solutionized, stress-relieved stretched and artificially aged).

Basic properties

6061 has a density
Density

The density of a material is defined as its mass per unit volume. The symbol of density is ....
 of 2.70 g/cm³ (0.0975 lb/in³).

Chemical composition

The alloy composition of 6061 is:
  • Silicon
    Silicon

    Silicon is the most common metalloid. It is a chemical element, which has the symbol Si and atomic number 14. The atomic mass is 28.0855....
     minimum 0.4%, maximum 0.8% by weight
  • Iron
    Iron

    Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a Group 8 element and period 4 element. Iron is lustrous and silvery in color....
     no minimum, maximum 0.7%
  • Copper
    Copper

    Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity....
     minimum 0.15%, maximum 0.40%
  • Manganese
    Manganese

    Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a Oxidation state in nature , and in many minerals....
     no minimum, maximum 0.15%
  • Magnesium
    Magnesium

    Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, atomic weight 24.3050 and common oxidation number +2.Magnesium, an alkaline earth metal, is the ninth most abundance of the chemical elements in the universe by mass....
     minimum 0.8%, maximum 1.2%
  • Chromium
    Chromium

    Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is a steely-gray, Lustre , hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point....
     minimum 0.04%, maximum 0.35%
  • Zinc
    Zinc

    Zinc is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a first-row transition metal of the group 12 element of the periodic table....
     no minimum, maximum 0.25%
  • Titanium
    Titanium

    Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Sometimes called the ?space age metal?, it has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver colour....
     no minimum, maximum 0.15%
  • Other elements no more than 0.05% each, 0.15% total
  • Remainder Aluminium
    Aluminium

    Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white and ductile member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al; its atomic number is 13....


Mechanical properties

The mechanical properties of 6061 depend greatly on the temper
Tempering

Tempering is a heat treatment technique for metals, alloys and Toughened glass. In steels, tempering is done to "toughen" the metal by transforming brittle martensite into bainite or a combination of ferrite and cementite....
, or heat treatment, of the material.

6061-O

Annealed 6061 (6061-O temper) has maximum tensile strength
Tensile strength

Tensile strength , or is the Stress at which a material breaks or permanently deforms. Tensile strength is an Intensive and extensive properties and, consequently, does not depend on the size of the test specimen....
 no more than 18,000 psi (125 MPa), and maximum yield strength no more than 8,000 psi (55 MPa). The material has elongation (stretch before ultimate failure) of 25-30 %.

6061-T4

T4 temper 6061 has an ultimate tensile strength of at least 30,000 psi (207 MPa) and yield strength of at least 16,000 psi (110 MPa). It has elongation of 16%.

6061-T6

T6 temper 6061 has an ultimate tensile strength of at least 42,000 psi (290 MPa) and yield strength of at least 35,000 psi (241 MPa). In thicknesses of 0.250 inch (6.35 mm) or less, it has elongation of 8% or more; in thicker sections, it has elongation of 10%. T651 temper has similar mechanical properties. The famous Pioneer plaque
Pioneer plaque

The Pioneer plaques are a pair of gold anodized aluminum commemorative plaque which were placed on board the 1972 Pioneer 10 and 1973 Pioneer 11 spacecraft, featuring a pictogram, in case either Pioneer 10 or 11 are intercepted by extraterrestrial beings....
 was made of this particular alloy.

Uses

6061 is widely used for construction of aircraft
Aircraft

An aircraft is a vehicle which is able to flight by being supported by the air, or in general, the atmosphere, of a planet. Examples include balloons, airplanes and helicopters....
 structures, such as wing
Wing

A wing is a surface used to produce Lift for flight through the Earth's atmosphere or another gaseous or fluid medium. The wing shape is usually an airfoil....
s and fuselage
Fuselage

The fuselage is an aircraft's main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. In single-engine aircraft it will usually contain an engine, although in some amphibious aircraft the single engine is mounted on a hardpoint attached to the fuselage which in turn is used as a floating Hull ....
s, more commonly in homebuilt aircraft
Homebuilt aircraft

Also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, homebuilt aircraft are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity....
 than commercial or military aircraft.

6061 is used for yacht
Yacht

A yacht is a recreational boat. It designates two rather different classes of watercraft, sailing and power yachts. Yachts are differentiated from working ships mainly by their leisure purpose....
 construction, including small utility boat
Boat

A boat is a watercraft of modest size designed to float or plane on water, and provide transport over it. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas....
s.

6061 is commonly used in the construction of bicycle frame
Bicycle frame

A bicycle frame is the main component of a bicycle, onto which bicycle wheels and list of bicycle parts are fitted. The modern and most common frame design for an upright bicycle is based on the safety bicycle, and consists of two triangles, a main triangle and a paired rear triangle....
s and components.

Welding

6061 is highly weldable, for example using tungsten inert gas welding (TIG) or metal inert gas welding (MIG). Typically, after welding, the properties near the weld are those of 6061-0, a loss of strength of around 80%. The material can be re-heat-treated to restore -T4 or -T6 temper for the whole piece.

Extrusions

6061 is also an alloy used in the production of extrusion
Extrusion

Extrusion is a process used to create objects of a fixed cross section profile. A material is pushed or drawn through a Die of the desired cross-section....
s—long constant–cross-section structural shapes produced by pushing metal through a shaped die
Die (manufacturing)

A die is a specialized tool used in manufacturing industries to cut, shape and form a wide variety of products and components. Like Molding and templates, dies are generally customized and uniquely matched to the product they are used to create....
.

Forgings

6061 is also an alloy that is commonly used in a hot forging. The billet is heated through an induction furnace and forged using a closed die process. Automotive parts, ATV parts, and industrial parts are just some of the uses as a forging.

See also

  • Aluminium alloy
    Aluminium alloy

    Aluminium alloys are alloys of aluminium, often with copper, zinc, manganese, silicon, or magnesum. They are much lighter and more corrosion resistant than plain carbon steel, but not as corrosion resistant as pure aluminium....