Effects of Extrusion Process Parameter Variations on Mechanical Properties of AA6063 and AA6061

Paul Rometsch¹, Nick C. Parson¹ and Jerome Fourmann²

¹Rio Tinto Aluminium, Saguenay, Quebec, Canada
²Rio Tinto Aluminium, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Used with permission from the Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Aluminum Extrusion Technology Seminar (ET ’24), published by the Extrusion Technology for Aluminum Profiles Foundation and Aluminum Extruders Council.

Abstract. Among the many 6xxx-series aluminium extrusion alloys on the market today, AA6063 and AA6061 are well known as high-volume soft- and medium-strength alloys, respectively. For a given one of these alloys, different mechanical properties can be achieved depending on, i) how well the extrusion process parameters are controlled on a given press line; and ii) the extent of a process deviation in the event of an unforeseen problem such as a delay on the press. This work explores how the peak-aged tensile properties, hardness and VDA bend performance of an extruded strip are influenced by deviations in key process parameters such as billet preheating rate, billet presoak time and press delay duration over a wide range of billet temperatures, tooling temperatures and extrusion speeds. The work reveals processing windows where the mechanical properties of each alloy are relatively robust to process deviations.