AA 6063 is an

aluminium alloy An aluminium alloy (or aluminum alloy; see spelling differences) is an alloy in which aluminium (Al) is the predominant metal. The typical alloying elements are copper, magnesium, manganese, silicon, tin, nickel and zinc. There are two principal ...

, with

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 of the periodic ta ...

and

silicon Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is a hard, brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic luster, and is a tetravalent metalloid and semiconductor. It is a member of group 14 in the periodic tab ...

as the alloying elements. The standard controlling its composition is maintained by

The Aluminum Association The Aluminum Association is an Apex body for catering all needs of Aluminum and Aluminum products. The Aluminum Association is a trade association for the aluminum production, fabrication and recycling industries, and their suppliers. The Assoc ...

. It has generally good mechanical properties and is heat treatable and weldable. It is similar to the British aluminium alloy HE9. 6063 is the most common alloy used for aluminium

extrusion Extrusion is a process used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile by pushing material through a die of the desired cross-section. Its two main advantages over other manufacturing processes are its ability to create very complex c ...

. It allows complex shapes to be formed with very smooth surfaces fit for

anodizing Anodizing is an electrolytic passivation process used to increase the thickness of the natural oxide layer on the surface of metal parts. The process is called ''anodizing'' because the part to be treated forms the anode electrode of an electro ...

and so is popular for visible architectural applications such as window frames, door frames, roofs, and sign frames. Applications requiring higher strength typically use

6061 6061 ( Unified Numbering System (UNS) designation A96061) is a precipitation-hardened aluminium alloy, containing magnesium and silicon as its major alloying elements. Originally called "Alloy 61S", it was developed in 1935. It has good mechani ...

or 6082 instead.

Chemical composition

The alloy composition of 6063 is:

Mechanical properties

The mechanical properties of 6063 depend greatly on the

temper Temper, tempered or tempering may refer to: Heat treatment * Tempering (metallurgy), a heat treatment technique to increase the toughness of iron-based alloys ** Temper mill, a steel processing line * Tempering (spices), a cooking technique where ...

, or heat treatment, of the material.

6063-O

Un-heat-treated 6063 has maximum

tensile strength Ultimate tensile strength (UTS), often shortened to tensile strength (TS), ultimate strength, or F_\text within equations, is the maximum stress that a material can withstand while being stretched or pulled before breaking. In brittle materials t ...

no more than , and no specified maximum

yield strength In materials science and engineering, the yield point is the point on a stress-strain curve that indicates the limit of elastic behavior and the beginning of plastic behavior. Below the yield point, a material will deform elastically and wi ...

. The material has elongation (stretch before ultimate failure) of 18%.

6063-T1

T1 temper 6063 has an ultimate tensile strength of at least in thicknesses up to , and from thick, and yield strength of at least in thickness up to and from thick. It has elongation of 12%.

6063-T4

6063-T5

T5 temper 6063 has an ultimate tensile strength of at least in thicknesses up to , and from thick, and yield strength of at least up to and from. It has elongation of 8%.

6063-T6

T6 temper 6063 has an ultimate tensile strength of at least and yield strength of at least . In thicknesses of or less, it has elongation of 8% or more; in thicker sections, it has elongation of 10%.

Other tempers

6063 is also produced in tempers T52, T53, T54, T55, and T832, with various improved desired properties.

Uses

6063 is used for architectural fabrication, window and door frames, pipe and tubing, and aluminium furniture.

Welding

6063 is highly weldable, using

tungsten inert gas welding Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), also known as tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, is an arc welding process that uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode to produce the weld. The weld area and electrode are protected from oxidation or other atmo ...

. Typically, after welding, the properties near the weld are those of 6063-0, a loss of strength of up to 30%. The material can be re-heat-treated to restore a higher temper for the whole piece.

References

Aluminum alloy table

{{DEFAULTSORT:6063 Aluminium Alloy Aluminium alloys