Simultaneous improvement in strength and ductility of AA6082 by interrupted aging

This study investigated the effects of T6I4 and T6I6 interrupted aging heat treatments on the mechanical and microstructural changes in AA6082 aluminum alloy and proposed them as alternatives to the conventional T6 aging process. The interrupted aging was carried out up to 528 h for T6I4, and 240 h for T6I6. The mechanical response of the alloy after interrupted aging was characterized using hardness measurement, uniaxial tensile, three-point bending, wear tests, and surface roughness measurement. The results show that T6I4 treatment provided a 26.2 % increase in hardness, while T6I6 provided a 34.1 % improvement over T6 temper, exhibiting significant strengthening effects. In addition, T6I4 improved the tensile strength by 42 % and elongation by 37.9 %, while T6I6 led to a 53.1 % improvement in tensile strength and a remarkable 52.4 % increase in ductility. Wear tests confirmed the superior wear resistance of T6I4-528 and T6I6-216 samples with reduced volume loss and improved surface roughness of 24.07 % and 37.9 %, respectively.