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Comprehensive compilation of technical data on aluminum alloy 6061 is presented in handbook form. The text includes data on the properties of the alloy at cryogenic, ambient, and elevated temperatures and other pertinent information required for the design and fabrication of components and equipment utilizing this alloy.
A summary of the materials property information for aluminum alloy 6061 is presented. The scope of the information includes physical and mechanical properties of the alloy at cryogenic, ambient, and elevated temperatures. Information on material procurement, metallurgy, corrosion, environmental effects, fabrication, and joining techniques is developed.
The dissolution rates of two aluminum alloys (6061-O and 5052-O) were tested to determine which would be able to replace an aluminum alloy that was difficult to procure (6063-T6). The findings of this memo conclude that the dissolution rates of 6061-O and 5052-O are two orders of magnitude slower than 6063-T6. Therefore, it is unlikely that 6061-O and 5052-O would be adequate replacements for 6063-T6 based on similar dissolution rates in a Hg-catalyzed, nitric acid solution. Another area of interest was how temperature variation would influence the dissolution rate of an aluminum alloy (specifically 1100). This separate study found that the dissolution rate of the aluminum alloy below 86 °C was approximately 0.0014 % of the dissolution rate at 94.5°C and above. Therefore, at or below 86 °C the dissolution rate reduces significantly which translates to much longer dissolution times.
The effect of notches on the strength of boron fiber reinforced 6061 aluminum alloy was determined at room temperature, 300 F, and 600 F. Both unidirectional and cross-plied specimens were tested. The strengths of individual fibers were measured, and upper and lower bounds of composite strength were calculated using bundle theory. Fracture tests were performed on specimens containing center slots of various lengths, and the values of the critical stress intensity factor for initial crack propagation or final failure were calculated. For unidirectional specimens, these parameters depended on thickness; for cross-plied specimens, fairly constant values were obtained at room temperature. The cross-plied material invariably failed at a lower stress as the environmental temperature was raised.
Uncontrolled high frequency current causes cracking in the heat-affected zone of aluminum alloy 6061 weldments during tungsten inert gas ac welding. Cracking developed when an improperly adjusted superimposed high frequency current was agitating the semimolten metal in the areas of grain boundary.
The effects of both mechanical surface treatments and heat treatments on the erosion resistance of 6061 aluminum alloy were studied in order to gain a better understanding of material properties which affect erosion behavior. It was found that mechanical surface treatments have little or no effect on the erosion resistance. This is due to the formation by particle impact of a work-hardened surface layer, independent of the initial surface condition. The erosion resistance of aluminum single crystals was found to be independent of orientation, which is due to destruction of the surface microstructure and formation of a polycrystalline surface layer by the particle impact as observed by X-ray diffraction. Although on solution treatment of annealed aluminum 6061 the increase in hardness is accompanied by an increase in erosion resistance, precipitation treatment (which causes a further increase in hardness) results in a slightly lower erosion resistance.
The interaction between Mg, Si, and Al 2 O 3 during hot isostatic pressing diffusion bonding of aluminum alloy 6061 (AA6061) plates was investigated through thermodynamic calculations and experimental microstructural characterization. Thermodynamic calculations as functions of temperature, pressure, and composition revealed that the interaction among Mg, Si, and Al 2 O 3 yields Mg 2 Si and either MgO + Al or MgAl 2 O 4 + Al, facilitating the reduction of Al 2 O 3 and allowing Al/Al metallic bonds to form. Total pressure variation had a negligible influence on the oxygen partial pressure, and consequently, the reaction product formation. Oxygen partial pressure variation as a function of temperature and initial amount of Al 2 O 3 determined the formation of either MgO or MgAl 2 O 4 . Experimental Hot Isostatic Pressure (HIP) bonding at 723 K and 833 K under a constant pressure of 1017 atm documented the cooling rate-dependent formation of β–Mg 2 Si precipitates. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy imaging and selected area electron diffraction patterns verified the formation of β–Mg 2 Si and MgO at the interface but did not detect MgAl 2 O 4 . In conclusion, findings from this study clarify the role of thermochemical interactions in oxide disruption and bonding mechanisms during HIP diffusion bonding of AA6061 and provide guidance for optimizing joining processes for monolithic nuclear fuel assemblies.
Plate-type fuel elements consisting of a high-density, low-enriched uranium (LEU) U–10Mo-based fuel foil encapsulated in an aluminum alloy (AA) cladding are fabricated using the hot isostatic pressing (HIP) technique. During the HIP process, the fuel plate system is heated to 560 °C, then cooled to room temperature. This heat cycle significantly affects the mechanical properties of the aluminum cladding, and experimental investigations have shown that, post-HIP bonding, the mechanical properties of the aluminum cladding transition from those of AA 6061-T6 to something closer to the O temper. More specifically, the ultimate strength of the cladding decreases while its ductility increases, making it challenging to capture the changes in mechanical behavior and material properties. Understanding the residual stresses generated during the HIP process is critical for assessing the fuel plate’s integrity under various temperature, pressure, and irradiation. To simulate the HIP bonding process, the elastic, plastic, and thermal properties of the cladding are assumed to be similar to those of AA 6061-O temper. However, the primary challenge lies in the lack of available data for the creep model of the AA 6061 cladding during this transient process of HIP. The present study focuses on developing a computational model that predicts the creep behavior of the aluminum cladding in the fuel plates during the HIP process, as cladding creep significantly influences the residual stresses generated in U-10Mo fuel plates during HIP fabrication. Furthermore, as HIP bonding occurs at high temperatures that are nearing the melting point of aluminum, the present work considered a temperature-dependent Arrhenius-type creep model. In particular, a hyperbolic sine creep model is employed to estimate the creep properties of the as-fabricated aluminum cladding. In conclusion, the residual stresses predicted in the U-10Mo fuel when using the newly calibrated creep model closely align with the experimental measurements, validating the model’s accuracy.
Promoted combustion testing (outlined in the ASTM G124 “Standard Test Method for Determining the Combustion Behavior of Metallic Materials in Oxygen Enriched Atmospheres”) refers to a useful testing method to evaluate how metallic materials will behave when combusted in environments with high oxygen concentrations, elevated pressure, or both. These tests yield data which is useful for engineers and scientists from a variety of industries who need and rely on oxygen systems. Oxygen Compatibility Assessments (OCA’s) are vital for ensuring that materials will be safe for use, and these assessments rely on data from OCA’s or interpolation if a desired pressure/concentration is outside of previously tested bounds. It was identified that these bounds leave out significant areas of data for materials which are tested at high pressures (above 1500 psi) and variable oxygen concentrations (with nitrogen as the diluent gas). For this reason, the authors posited that conducting promoted combustion testing on materials above 1500 psi and in various concentrations of oxygen would be incredibly useful in future analyses for oxygen compatibility with similar environments (such as breathing air) as well as for further understanding of how materials behave at very high pressures (such as 10000 psi). Two materials were selected which are commonly used in industry today - 316 stainless steel and 6061 aluminum – and they were tested and analyzed for the purposes of this study.
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(For abstract see issue 22, p. 4115, Accession no. A79-50300)
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Two uranium dioxide (UO 2 ) targets of (414 ± 23) nm and (1092 ± 93) nm thicknesses were prepared on 6061 aluminum alloy and puratronic grade aluminum backing materials. The targets were deposited with a novel method combining spin coating and solution combustion synthesis (SCS). The target layers consisted of small (3–7 nm) UO 2 grains and uniformly distributed ultra-small (1–3 nm) pores. The prepared targets were tested at the Los Alamos National Laboratory’s LANSCE facility for neutron irradiation damage and suitability for neutron capture experiments. The samples showed no signs of target material loss after the irradiation. However, irradiation caused a significant increase in the grain size (4–10 nm), as well as upward mass diffusion and coalescence of the pores due to the thermal spikes. The magnesium in the aluminum 6061 alloy backing also diffused into the UO 2 layer during neutron irradiation. The structural changes in the target after the irradiation do not affect the data from neutron capture. As a result, the new method can be used more broadly to prepare other actinide targets for nuclear physics experiments.
Fabricating integrated aluminum-steel structures is difficult because of metallurgical incompatibilities that promote intermetallic compound (IMC) formation at their interfaces. This work introduces a practical route for additively manufacturing 6061-T6 aluminum alloy (AA6061-T6) directly onto 304 stainless steel (SS304) using a high shear strain rate-assisted interfacial bonding mechanism. Through the friction extrusion deposition-based additive manufacturing method, both single- and multi-layer deposits of AA6061-T6 were successfully fabricated on SS304, yielding a robust hybrid multi-material structure. Comprehensive analyses of deposition quality, interface porosity, and bonding performance showed that the interface achieved a tensile strength exceeding 154 MPa under quasi-static loading. Microstructural observations revealed that the deposited aluminum layers experienced severe plastic deformation, resulting in pronounced grain refinement. Importantly, the interfacial zone was found to be free of brittle IMCs, instead containing a thin amorphous layer that evolved through a non-linear reaction-zone growth law. This solid-state additive strategy establishes a promising pathway for lightweight structural systems, nuclear energy component cladding, and multifunctional engineering components, redefining how dissimilar metals can be integrated for advanced applications.
The objective of this work is to extend the thermal-mechanical, elastic-plastic calibrations for 304L stainless steel [1] and and 6061-T651 aluminum alloy [2] to the regime between room temperature and -40 °C. The basis to extend the calibration consisted of new uniaxial tension tests conducted at -40 °C using the same plate material stocks, circular cylindrical specimen geometries and testing apparatus as previously, followed by attempts to fit power-law hardening functions to replicate the response observed in the specimens and then extend the yield, hardening constant, hardening exponent and rate constant functions in the calibrations to cover the new temperature regime.