SINGLE AGING CHARACTERISTICS OF ALUMINUM

6063 ALLOY
In the partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of

Bachelor of Technology

In

Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

Submitted by
BANOTHU CHENNAKESAVA (N090234)

MOHAMMED RIYAZ SHARIFF (N090448)

DODIGALLA NOOKARATNAM (N091069)

VADLAMUDI DIVYA (N091153)

JUJJUVARAPU LAKSHMI (N091161)

Under the Esteemed Guidance of

Sri. SURESH CHAND

Lecturer in MME Department

Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT)

Nuzvid, Krishna (Dist.), Andhra Pradesh

2014 - 2015.
I
DEPARTMENT OF METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS
ENGINEERING
RGUKT, NUZVID - 521202
Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh

CERTIFICATE
This is to be certify that the report entitled “ Single Aging Characteristics of
6063 Aluminum Alloy” submitted by Banothu Chennakesava (N090234),
Mohammed Riyaz Shariff (N090448), Dodigalla Nookaratnam (N091069),
Vadlamudi Divya (N091153), Jujjuvarapu Lakshmi (N091161) to the
Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Rajiv Gandhi
University of knowledge Technologies, Nuzvid, for the award of the degree of
Bachelor of Technology in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering is a
bonafide work carried out under my supervision and to the best of my
knowledge elsewhere has not submitted for the award of degree.

Supervisor HOD (I/C)

Sri. Suresh Chand, Mr.B. Venkateswarlu,
Lecturer (B.Tech, M.Tech -IITK), Lecturer, I/C HOD,
RGUKT (AP IIIT)-NUZVID. RGUKT (AP IIIT)-NUZVID.

Place: Nuzvid
Date: II
 DEPARTMENT OF METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS
ENGINEERING
RGUKT, NUZVID - 521202
Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh

THESIS APPROVAL CERTIFICATE

This is to Certify that the final year project entitled “Single Aging
Characteristics of 6063 Aluminum Alloy” submitted by Banothu
Chennakesava (N090234), Mohammed Riyaz Shariff (N090448), Dodigalla
Nookaratnam (N091069), Vadlamudi Divya (N091153), Jujjuvarapu
Lakshmi (N091161) is the bonafide work of 4th year B.Tech in Metallurgical
and Materials Engineering of RGUKT Nuzvid campus of Rajiv Gandhi
University of Knowledge Technologies, Andhra Pradesh carried out under my
supervision.

Thesis Supervisor,
Sri. Suresh Chand,
Lecturer (B.Tech, M.Tech- IITK),
Department of Metallurgical & Materials Engineering,
RGUKT, Nuzvid, A.P.

Place: Nuzvid
Date: III
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to our project guide, Sri. Suresh
Chand, Lecturer in MME Department for his excellent guidance, caring,
patience, patiently corrected our writing and financially supported our project
and providing us with an excellent atmosphere for doing this project. His
guidance was paramount in providing a well rounded experience consistent our
long-term career goals. He encouraged us to not only grow as an
experimentalist but also as an independent thinker.

We would never have been able to finish our dissertation without the guidance
of our Project guide, fellow team members and support from family and friends.

We would like to thanks Mr. Madhusudhan Sir, Faculty of MME Department,

RGU IIIT, Nuzvid for his co-operation and for his suggestions to moving ahead
this project.

We would like to thanks Mr. B.Venkateswarlu, HOD (I/C) of MME

Department, RGU IIIT, Nuzvid for his co-operation and for his suggestions to
moving ahead with this project and made our stay here memorable.

We would like to thank all the MME department faculty members who gave
support to do our project work and We also thankful to our Lab Assistants Mr.
Sunil Raj and Mr.Ram Prasad Reddy who helped us a lot in finishing this
project within the limited time.

We also thankful to all staff members of Workshop department of Mechanical

Engineering who helped us for performing the cutting operations. IV
DEPARTMENT OF METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS
ENGINEERING
RGUKT, NUZVID - 521202
Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh

DECLARATION

We Banothu Chennakesava (N090234), Mohammed Riyaz Shariff (N090448),

Dodigalla Nookaratnam (N091069), Vadlamudi Divya (N091153), Jujjavarapu
Lakshmi (N091161), hereby declare that the project entitled “ Single Aging
Characteristics of 6063 Aluminum Alloy” carried out by us, under the
guidance of Sri. Suresh Chand is submitted for the partial fulfillment of the
degree of bachelor of technology in Metallurgical and Materials engineering
during the academic session December 2014 –2015 at RGUKT, NUZVID is our
original work, and that all the sources we have used or quoted have been
acknowledged by means of completed references.

Banothu Chennakesava (N090234),

Mohammed Riyaz Shariff (N090448),

Dodigalla Nookaratnam (N091069),

Vadlamudi Divya (N091153)

Jujjuvarapu Lakshmi (N091161)

Place: Nuzvid

Date: V
 CONTENTS

Title Page No

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT IV
LIST OF FIGURES VIII
LIST OF TABLES X
ABSTRACT XI

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 General Introduction of Aluminum 1
1.2 Aluminum Applications 3

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Aluminum Alloys 4
2.1.1 Cast Alloys 5
2.1.2 Wrought Alloys 5
2.2 Heat treatable Aluminum alloys 8
2.3 Non Heat treatable Aluminum alloys 8
2.4 Heat treatment process
2.4.1 Precipitation hardening or aging 9
2.4.2 Aging Curve 11
2.4.3 Effect of aging time and temperature 12
2.5 Case Study 14

VI
CHAPTER 3 EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
3.1 Experimental Procedure for the project work can be listed as:

3.1.1 Specimen Preparation 16

3.1.2 Heat treatment

3.1.2.1 Solution treatment 18

3.1.2.2 Aging 19

3.2 Hardness measurement 21

3.3 Structural Characterization

3.3.1 XRD Analysis 22

3.3.2 Microstructural Study 23

CHAPTER 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

4.1 Microstructural Analysis 25

4.2 Hardness Measurements 28

4.3 Aging curves for AA6063 aluminum alloy 29

4.4 XRD Analysis 31

4.5 Discussions 44

4.6 Conclusion 46

CHAPTER 5 FUTURE SCOPE 47

CHAPTER 6 REFERENCES 48
VII
 LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page No
Fig. 2.1: Schematic of solution treatment of aluminum alloys 10

Fig. 2.2: Aging Curve of Aluminum Alloys 11

Fig. 2.3: Schematic of formation of precipitates 13

Fig. 2.4: Plot of single step age hardening treatment 14

Fig. 2.5: Plot of two step age hardening treatment 15

Fig.3.1: Image of AA6063 samples at 115 ºC 17

Fig.3.2: Image of AA6063 samples at 125 ºC 17

Fig.3.3: Image of AA6063 samples at 135 ºC 17

Fig. 3.4: Image of muffle furnace 19

Fig. 3.5: Image of Brinell hardness testing machine 21

Fig. 3.6: Image of X-Ray Diffraction Machine 23

Fig.3.7: Image of Leica Metallurgical Microscope 24
Fig. 4.1: The Optical microstructure of as received of
AA6063 aluminum alloy 25
Fig. 4.2: Optical microstructure of solution treated AA6063
aluminum alloy at 545 oC, 3:20 hrs 26
Fig.4.3: Optical microstructure of aged AA6063 aluminum alloy
at 115 o C, 16 hrs, at 5000X 26
Fig.4.4: Optical microstructure of aged AA6063 aluminum alloy
at 125 o C, 12 hrs, at 2000X 27
VIII
Fig.4.5: Optical microstructure of aged AA6063 aluminum alloy
at 135 oC,16 hrs, at 2000X 27
Fig.4.6: Hardness vs aging time at temperature 115 ºC 29

Fig.4.7: Hardness vs aging time at temperature 125 ºC 29

Fig.4.8: Hardness vsaging time at temperature 135 °C 30

Fig.4.9: Hardness vs single aging time at temperature 115 °C,

125 o C and 135 o C 30

Fig. 4.10: XRD pattern of as received AA6063 alloy 31

Fig. 4.11: XRD pattern of solution treated AA6063 alloy 32

Fig.4.12: XRD pattern of aged AA6063 alloy at 115 ºC for 4 hrs 33

Fig.4.13: XRD pattern of aged AA6063 alloy at 115 ºC for 8 hrs 33

Fig.4.14: XRD pattern of aged AA6063 alloy at 115 ºC for 12 hrs 34

Fig.4.15: XRD pattern of aged AA6063 alloy at 115 ºC for 16 hrs 34

Fig.4.16: XRD pattern of aged AA6063 alloy at 115 ºC for 20 hrs 35

Fig.4.17: XRD pattern of aged AA6063 alloy at 115 ºC for 24 hrs 35

Fig.4.18: XRD pattern of aged AA6063 alloy at 125 ºC for 4 hrs 36

Fig.4.19: XRD pattern of aged AA6063 alloy at 125 ºC for 8 hrs 37

Fig.4.20: XRD pattern of aged AA6063 alloy at 125 ºC for 12 hrs 37

Fig.4.21: XRD pattern of aged AA6063 alloy at 125 OC for 16 hrs 38

Fig.4.22: XRD pattern of aged AA6063 alloy at 125 ºC for 20 hrs 38

Fig.4.23: XRD pattern of aged AA6063 alloy at 125 ºC for 24 hrs 39

Fig.4.24: XRD pattern of aged AA6063 alloy at 135 ºC for 4 hrs 40

Fig.4.25: XRD pattern of aged AA6063 alloy at 135 ºC for 8 hrs 40

Fig.4.26: XRD pattern of aged AA6063 alloy at 135 ºC for 12 hrs 41

IX
Fig.4.27: XRD pattern of aged AA6063 alloy at 135 ºC for 16 hrs 41

Fig.4.28: XRD pattern of aged AA6063 alloy at 135 ºC for 20 hrs 42

Fig.4.29: XRD patternof aged AA6063 alloy at 135 ºC for 24 hrs 42

LIST OF TABLES
Table Page No

Table 1.1: Properties of aluminium 2

Table 2.1: Designation of Cast Aluminum Alloys 5

Table 2.2: Designation of Wrought Alloys 6

Table2.3: Temper Designation of Aluminum Alloy 6

Table 2.4: Details H-Designation 6

Table 2.5: Details about Heat treated process 7

Table 3.1: Chemical Composition of 6063 Al Alloy 17

Table 3.2: Process variables for aging of 6063 aluminum

alloy at 115 OC 20
Table 3.3: Process variables parameters for aging of
6063 aluminum alloy at 125oc 20
Table 3.4: Process variables for aging of 6063 aluminum
alloy at 135 oc 21

X
Table 4.1: Hardness values of 6063 aluminum alloy
artificially aged at 115O C 28

Table 4.2: Hardness values of 6063 aluminum alloy

artificially aged at 125 O C 28
Table 4.3: Hardness values of 6063 aluminum alloy
artificially aged at 135o C 28

XI
 ABSTRACT

The Single aging characteristics of aluminum 6063 alloy is

investigated. The aim of this work is to determine the treatments for single
aging characteristics of aluminum 6063 alloy. The specimens are solutionized at
545 ºC for 3hours 20 minutes in muffle furnace. After that the specimens are
artificially aged at 115 ºC, 125 ºC, 135 ºC for different time of intervals. The
results show that as the temperature is increasing hardness also increasing. The
variations in time and temperature during heat treatment have improved the
mechanical properties of the Al-alloy, whereas the ductility has decreased. The
experimental work has revealed that time and temperature plays a very
important role in the precipitation hardening process of the Al-alloy. The
presence of precipitates of Mg2Si in artificially aged specimen is detected by
XRD patterns. The single aging treatments are 545 ºC, 3:20 hrs solution
treatment and aging at 135 ºC for 16 hrs.

XII