The Effect of pre-aging treatments on Tensile Properties and Hardness for Aluminum Alloys

— In this research the effect of artificial aging on tensile strength and hardness for Al-Mg-Si (6061 Aluminum alloy) was study, samples from 6061 alloy were submitted to one step artificial aging for different temperatures, while others samples were submitted to two steps artificial aging (where there is a first stage as pre-aging) in descending and ascending modes. The results showed that the highest tensile strength values were reached 214.7 [N/mm2] and hardness were reached 220 [HB] for 6061 Aluminum alloy when the samples were treated by one-step ageing in 190 [°C] for 3 [hour]. While tensile strength and hardness values of samples treated by two-step ageing were slightly higher than these values when the samples was aged at one stage. Where the maximum values of tensile strength was 215 [N/mm2] and for hardness was 227 [HB] when the 6061 alloy treated with two-step ageing the first one in 175 [°C] for 2 [hour] and the second one in 205 [°C] for 1 [hour].