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EFFECT OF THE MICROSTRUCTURE ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES AND

SURFACE FINISH OF AN EXTRUDED AA-6063 ALUMINUM ALLOY

Article · January 1999

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ADV. MAT. SCI. & TECH. Received: 28-05-99
Vol. 2, Nº 1 pp. 15-23, 1999 Accepted: 16-07-99
EFFECT OF THE MICROSTRUCTURE ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
ISSN 1316-2012 Published: 31-08-99
AND SURFACE FINISH OF AN EXTRUDED AA-6063 ALUMINUM ALLOY
DEPÓSITO LEGAL pp 96-0071 © 1999 CIPMAT

EFFECT OF THE MICROSTRUCTURE

ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
AND SURFACE FINISH OF AN EXTRUDED
AA-6063 ALUMINUM ALLOY
A. L RIVAS1, P. MUÑOZ2, S. CAMERO3 & O. QUINTERO-SAYAGO1
<alrivas@usb.ve>
1
Universidad Simón Bolívar
Valle de Sartenejas, Edif. Mecánica I
Dpto de Ciencias de los Materiales
Baruta, Edo Miranda, Venezuela
2
Procter & Gamble
3
Universidad Central de Venezuela

ABSTRACT
The microstructural evolution during homogenization of an AA-6063 aluminum alloy was carried
out by optical, scanning and transmission electron microscopy as well as X-ray diffraction. The
effect of the microstructure obtained after different homogenizing conditions on both mechanical
properties and surface finish of the extruded products was evaluated. A good surface finish and
adequate mechanical properties were achieved by a minimum homogenizing time of 6 hours. At this
homogenization time, high degree of spheroidization of the α- Al-Fe-Si compound occurred.
Key Words: AlMgSi alloys. Homogenization. Extruded aluminum alloys. Al-Fe-Si phases

EFECTOS DE LA MICROESTRUCTURA EN LAS

PROPIEDADES MECÁNICAS Y FINEZA SUPERFICIAL
DE UNA ALEACIÓN EXTRUÍDA DE ALUMINIO AA-6063
RESUMEN
Se investigó la evolución microestructural durante el tratamiento térmico de homogeneización de
una aleación de aluminio AA-6063. El análisis microestructural se realizó mediante las técnicas de
microscopía óptica, microscopía electrónica de barrido, microscopía electrónica de transmisión y
difracción de rayos X. El efecto de la microestructura obtenida a diferentes condiciones de
homogeneización sobre las propiedades mecánicas y fineza superficial de los productos extruídos
fue evaluado. La mejor combinación de propiedades mecánicas y fineza superficial fue alcanzada en
las muestras homogeneizadas por un tiempo mínimo de 6 horas a una temperatura de 560 °C. A estas
condiciones se obtuvo una alta esferoidización de la fase α- Al-Fe-Si.
Palabras Clave: Aleación AlMgSi. Homogeneización. Aleaciónes Extruídas de Aluminio. Fases
Al-Fe-Si.

FICHA:
15 A. L RIVAS, P. MUÑOZ, S. CAMERO & O. QUINTERO-SAYAGO.- ADV. MAT. SCI.
& TECH. 2(1):15-23, 1999.
EFFECT OF THE MICROSTRUCTURE ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES AND
SURFACE FINISH OF AN EXTRUDED AA-6063 ALUMINUM ALLOY
 A. L RIVAS, P. MUÑOZ, S. CAMERO & O. QUINTERO-SAYAGO
INTRODUCTION
The AA-6063 is one of the aluminum alloys most widely
used in the manufacture of extruded components. The
major alloying elements are silicon and magnesium. The
iron is always present in these alloys as an impurity. Since
the solubility of iron is very limited in aluminum, all the
iron practically combines with both aluminum and silicon
to form a large variety of second phase particles during
solidification. The majority of the Al-Fe-Si phases reported
in the literature (1,2) are metastable compounds produced
by faster solidification conditions often present in
industrial practices. The presence of Al-Fe and Al-Fe-Si
phases in the as-cast microstructure influence the quality
of the extruded products. Big particles of Mg2Si (greater
than 0.5µ m) formed during solidification also affect the
extrusion characteristics of the material (3). The formation
of these phases during solidification in industrial
processes is difficult to avoid but their detrimental effects
can be minimized by the application of a homogenizing
heat treatment. There is an extended literature (4-11) that
illustrates the purposes of the homogenizing heat
treatment when applied to a 6063 aluminum alloy. The
following are some of them:
- Reduction of the Mg and Si concentration gradients.
- Dissolution of the Mg2Si particles formed during
solidification
- Fragmentation and spheroidization of the a-Al-Fe-Si.
- Transformation of the β-Al-Fe-Si into α-Al-Fe-Si.
Temperature, time and cooling rate are the most
important variables to consider during the homogenizing
heat treatment. At a given temperature, the
homogenization time depends on the amount and size of
the Al-Fe-Si phases in the as-cast microstructure.
Microsegregation of Mg and Si is quickly reduced at
temperatures in excess of 550 °C (12) due to the high
diffusivities of Mg and Si in aluminum. Thus, the
controlling steps in the homogenizing process are the β-
Al-Fe-Si to α-Al-Fe-Si transformation and the breaking
up and spheroidization of the α-Al-Fe-Si phases, which
are slow processes. This work was undertaken to
determine the time required to homogenized ingots of 7
inch diameter manufactured at industrial scale by the DC-
casting technique (direct chill casting) of an AA-6063
aluminum alloy with an iron content of about 0.3 Weight
Element Mg Si Fe Cu Mn
% 0.53 0.44 0.29 0.03 0.01
Table 1: Chemical Composition of the AA-6063 alloy (wt. %)
16
Percent. For this study, microstructural characteristics,
mechanical properties and surface finish were chosen as
comparative parameters to define an acceptable
homogenization time to ensure a good quality material.
METHODOLOGY
In this study, ingots of an AA-6063 commercial
aluminum alloy were used. The ingots of 7 inch in diameter
were produced by the vertical DC-casting. The chemical
composition of the material is listed in table 1. The billets
of 144 inch long were cut in 8 pieces. Using a batch type
furnace, those pieces were homogenized at 560 °C at
holding times of 4, 6 and 8 hours. After homogenizing, the
pieces were cooled in forced air at a cooling rate of 220 °C/
hr until a temperature of 130 °C was reached. Previous to
extrusion in a 15 TM hydraulic press, the homogenized
ingots were heated up 468 °C. The obtained T-shaped
extruded parts were cooled down to room temperature
using forced air follow by stretching. T-shaped pieces of
50 inch long were aged at 185 °C for 6 hours after 8 hrs of
storage at room temperature. Samples were sectioned for
microstructural analysis. The microstructural
characterization was performed on specimens from the
center of the billets in both the as-cast and homogenized
conditions and also on samples taken from the longitudinal
direction of the T-shape extruded product. The
microstructural analysis was carried out by optical
microscopy as well as scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The crystal
structure of precipitates was determined by selected area
electron diffraction. X-ray diffraction analysis of the as-
cast specimen using a Cobalt Ka radiation was also carried
out. Hardness, tensile properties and surface finish of the
aged T-Shaped parts were evaluated. The scanning
electron microscope was equipped with an EDX
spectrometer system. The samples for optical and scanning
electron microscopy were prepared by the conventional
mechanical polishing technique followed by etching. The
x-ray analysis was done on electropolished samples. The
TEM examination was performed on thin films of the
homogenized and aged specimens as well. Foils for
transmission electron microscopy were prepared by the
double jet technique using a solution of 20% perchloric
acid and 80% ethanol.
Cr Zn Ti B Al
0.01 0.03 0.015 0.003 Balance
 EFFECT OF THE MICROSTRUCTURE ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
AND SURFACE FINISH OF AN EXTRUDED AA-6063 ALUMINUM ALLOY

Figure 1. Microstructure of the as-cast AA- 6063 microstructure. A) cellular dendritic solidification mode (Optical microscope).
B) General microstructure by SEM showing intermetallic phases at the grain boundaries. C y D) Details of the microstructure.

RESULTS phases, respectively. The α-Al-Fe-Si can have many

OPTICAL AND SCANNING ELECTRON
MICROSCOPY RESULTS
The general microstructural characteristics of the billets
in the as cast condition are displayed in figure 1. The
billets presented a cellular dendritic solidification mode
of central equiaxed grains with an average size of 80 mm,
as seen in figure 1A. It is clearly observed solute
segregation in intercellular spacing and grain boundaries
(figures 1A y 1B). At higher magnifications, details of the
precipitated second phases are evidenced in figures 1C y
1D. These SEM micrographs reveled needle-like
intermetallic phases and Chinese-script morphologies that
could correspond to the β-Al5FeSi (13) and α-Al-Fe-Si
variants, however in commercial alloys such as the AA-
6063, the bcc α-Al-Fe-Si with a composition close to
Al8Fe2Si, is the most likely to form due to the presence of
small amounts of Mn and also to the rapid solidification
conditions associated to DC-casting. The Mn has been
found to stabilize the bcc α-Al-Fe-Si phase (14).
Figure 2 shows the microstructure obtained after
homogenization for 4 hours (figure 2A), 6 hours (figure
2B) and 8 hours (figure 2C). In figure 2D an EDX analysis
of the Al-Fe-Si intermetallic phase is shown. In general,
the microsegregation was reduced in the as-cast
microstructure. Certain amount of fragmentation and
spheroidization was evidenced at 4 hours of

17
 A. L RIVAS, P. MUÑOZ, S. CAMERO & O. QUINTERO-SAYAGO

Figure 2. SEM Micrographs of the samples homogenized by 4 hours (A), 6 hours (B) and 8 8 hours(C) with an EDX analysis of
the intermetallic phase (D).

homogenization and the Chinese-script type of

morphology was still observed as shown by arrow in Fig.
2A In consequence, 4 hours of heat treatment was
insufficient to remove the as-cast microstructure. As
Mechanical properties Homogenization time expected, the amount of spheroidization increased with
4 6 8 the homogenization time. In the samples homogenized for
Hardness (HV) 68.0 84.0 88.0 6 and 8 hours, the intermetallic Al-Fe-Si phases
Yield Strength (Map) 182.0 212.0 219.0 experienced a greater degree of spheroidization. These
Maximum Strength (MPa) 211.0 233.0 246.0 phases have a more rounded appearance.
%Elongation 8.4 7.2 7.6
X-RAY DIFFRACTION RESULTS
Table 2: Hardness values and tensile properties of the The aim of doing the X-ray diffraction analysis was to
extruded product from ingot homogenized for 4, 6 and 8 identify the type of Al-Fe-Si phases formed during casting
hours.
of the 6063- aluminum alloy. The detection by this

18
 EFFECT OF THE MICROSTRUCTURE ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
AND SURFACE FINISH OF AN EXTRUDED AA-6063 ALUMINUM ALLOY

Figure 3. X-ray diffractogram for the AA-6063 in the as-cast condition.

Figure 4. Bright fields of the bcc α-Al-Fe-Si phase found in the homogenized samples with their respective [001] y [111] SAD
patterns.

19
 A. L RIVAS, P. MUÑOZ, S. CAMERO & O. QUINTERO-SAYAGO

Figure 5. Bright fields showing the Mg2Si phase in the homogenized samples (4A) and in the extruded and aged samples come from
the billets homogenized for 4 hours (4B), 6 hours (4C) and 8 hours (4D).

technique of the Al-Fe-Si phases has some limitations

because they are not in sufficient amounts in this alloy to
provide high intensity peaks for a successful X-ray
diffraction analysis.
The X-ray diffractogram obtained and shown in figure
3, reveled very small peaks that could be indexed as β-
Al5FeSi and cubic α-Al-Fe-Si. The small peaks indexed as
cubic α-Al-Fe-Si also coincides with the α-Al-Fe-Si of
hexagonal structure. However, as mentioned before the
cubic α-Al-Fe-Si phase and other variants are more
common in the DC- casting AA-6063 aluminum alloy rather
than the hexagonal α-Al-Fe-Si. The composition of the
cubic α-Al-Fe-Si has been reported as Al13Fe3Si1-1.5 (15),
which is close to the equilibrium phase Al8Fe2Si of
hexagonal structure (16).
In the diffractogram appeared other extra peaks called
δ which corresponded to an aluminum oxide (corindon).
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
(TEM) RESULTS
The dominant phase detected in the homogenized
microstructures was the bcc α-Al-Fe-Si Fig.4 shows TEM
micrographs of this intermetallic phase accompanied with

20
 EFFECT OF THE MICROSTRUCTURE ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
AND SURFACE FINISH OF AN EXTRUDED AA-6063 ALUMINUM ALLOY

Figure 6. Photographs showing the surface finish of the extruded product made from billets homogenized for 4 hours (A), 6 hours
(B) and 8 hours (C)

the corresponding [001] and [111] SAD patterns, figures

4A y 4B, respectively. The Al3FeSi phase was also exhibited
in the homogenized samples. All of these phases were
present at the different homogenization times: 4, 6 and 8
hours. The Al3FeSi was not frequently detected during
the microstructural analysis indicating that it was present
in a very low fraction. Others variants of the Al-Fe-Si
phases were also observed in the homogenized samples
but they were not completely identified by the SAD
technique. Generally, the analysis of these phases requires
a more elaborated procedure involving geometric
projection of diffraction patterns. It should be pointed
out that Al-Fe phases were not detected by the SEM and
TEM analysis.
Figure 5 shows bright fields of the Mg2Si precipitates
for both the homogenized samples and the aging
hardening extruded specimens. The equilibrium phase
Mg2Si (figure 5A) was the type of precipitate observed in
all of the different homogenized samples. These
equilibrium Mg2Si precipitates were found in an average
size less than 0.5 mm. It is important to notice that the
existence of this type of equilibrium precipitates in the
homogenized structures should no have much incidence
on the extrusion quality given the small size and low
fraction in which they were found. In the extruded and
aged- samples there were produced a great density of
precipitates in all of the specimens (figures 5B to 5D).
However in the sample homogenized by 4 hours (Fig. 5B)
the volume fraction of transition precipitates seems to be
lesser and the amount of the equilibrium Mg2Si phase
greater than in the other samples. In all the samples, the
majority of the precipitates corresponded to the β′
intermediate precipitates with an average length of 50 nm.
In less amounts were found the β′′ and the equilibrium
Mg2Si with an average lengths of 10 nm and 350 nm,
respectively.
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES RESULTS
Vickers microhardness values and tensile properties of
the T-shape extrusions from ingots homogenized for 4, 6
and 8 hours are given in table 1. The measurements were
taken from the longitudinal direction. The sample with a
homogenizing time of 4 hours had an average hardness of
68 HV. This value is quite low when compare with that of
the samples with homogenizing times of 6 and 8 hours.
These samples had a hardness of 84 and 88 HV,
respectively. The extruded samples with homogenizing
times of 6 and 8 hours had also higher values of yield and

21
 A. L RIVAS, P. MUÑOZ, S. CAMERO & O. QUINTERO-SAYAGO
maximum strength than that of the sample homogenized
during four hours. Both samples, the homogenized for 6
and 8 hours, showed similar hardness and tensile
properties.
SURFACE FINISH OBSERVATIONS
Figure 6 shows photographs taken at the surface of
the extruded material from billets homogenized for 4, 6
and 8 hours. The extruded samples made from billets
homogenized for 4 hours showed a poor surface finish.
Defects such as scratches, tearing and dark areas along
the surface were easily observed in this sample as
indicated by arrows in figure 6A. On the other hand,
extruded samples manufacture from billets homogenized
for 6 and 8 hours had a surface free of defects. It is
important to notice that the surface finish, microstructure
and tensile properties of the samples with 6 and 8 hours
of homogenization were quite similar. This indicates that
the quality of the final extruded product should be almost
the same for both heat treatment conditions.
ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
The observed cellular dendritic microstructure is typical
of ingot produced by the DC-casting technique. In this
process, the material is cooled at relatively high cooling
rates of 1 to 20 K/s (1). At these freezing rates the dendritic
cell structure depends strongly on the local conditions of
the heat extraction during solidification to produce average
arm spacing or dendrite cell size between 15 to 70 µm (15).
This finer cell size accelerates the homogenization
treatment by removing the as-cast microstructure more
rapidly due to shorter diffusion distances.
The α- Al-Fe-Si phase observed in the as-cast structure
could correspond to metastable phases rather than the
equilibrium hexagonal Al 8 Fe 2 Si, due to the rapid
solidification conditions associated with DC-casting and
also to the presence of small amount of Mn in the alloy.
Generally, the Mn stabilized the cubic phase in these
commercial alloys. Also, such as mentioned by C. M Allen
et al. (2), Sun and Mondolfo (17) and Munson (14), the
equilibrium hexagonal α- Al8Fe2Si is thermodynamically
stable only in Al-Fe-Si alloys of high purity, which is not
the present case.
The grain boundary distribution of a and β phases is
also characteristic of this type of alloys in the as-cast
condition. The well defined morphologies like those in
figure 1D are eutectically formed, especially when silicon
is not low (15). The appereance of the Chinese-script
morphology is the result of a branched growth process
associated to a very low advancing rate of the solid-liquid
22
interface (18). The bcc α-Al-Fe-Si phase was found to be
the predominant phase in the homogenized material. This
result is in accordance with the reported in the literature
(4). The others variants of Al-Fe-Si no identified by the
SAD patters may correspond to the q1-Al-Fe-Si or q2-Al-
Fe-Si, phases sometimes observed in Al-Fe-Si alloys (19).
Homogenizing the billets for 4 hours was insufficient
to remove the as-cast microstructure. With 4 hours of heat
treatment the breaking-up and spheroidization of α-AlFeSi
partially occurred. The inadequate microstructure
obtained with 4 hours of homogenization correlated with
the lower mechanical properties of the T-Shaped extruded
product and the poor surface finish when compared with
those of the samples homogenized for longer times. It is
important to note that no appreciable microstructural
differences were found in samples homogenized for 6 and
8 hours. This result suggested that the microstructure
obtained in billets homogenized at 560 °C for a 6 hours
can be adequate to guarantee a good quality product.
The higher hardness and strength in samples
homogenized for 6 and 8 hours could be related to the
hardening effect of the intermediate Mg2Si precipitates.
Figure 5 shows the higher density of these precipitates in
the sample homogenized for 6 and 8 hours. The amount of
Mg2Si present in the extruded material depends on the
content of Si and Mg in solid solution available for
precipitation. The amount of Si and Mg in solution
increases in first term during the homogenization heat
treatment due to the redissolution of the equilibrium Mg2Si
phase formed on casting. It has been reported that Mg2Si
redissolves rapidly and both elements Mg and Si diffuse
fast in aluminum to eliminate the concentration gradients.
There is evidence that no more than 2.5 hours at 570 °C is
needed for this process in a 6063 aluminum alloy (20). The
minimum homogenization time in the present study was 4
hours. Therefore, the different homogenizing times used
in this study would have been enough to place all the
Mg2Si in solid solution. In consequence, the higher density
of intermediate Mg2Si precipitates, i.e., higher mechanical
properties, in the samples homogenized for 6 and 8 hours
may be related to other factors. Improvement in the
mechanical properties has been found to be related also
with the increase in the amount of Si in excess (10 and 21).
It may be possible that an additional amount of Si would
have been placed in solid solution by other processes
occurring during homogenization. These processes can
be the transformation of the β- Al5FeSi phase into bcc α -
Al13Fe3Si1-1.5 and also the breaking-up and spheroidization
of these phases. Both processes may lead to a release of
Si incorporating it into solution in the Al matrix. If more Si
 EFFECT OF THE MICROSTRUCTURE ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
AND SURFACE FINISH OF AN EXTRUDED AA-6063 ALUMINUM ALLOY

is taken into solution in this way, extending the
homogenization heating time will increase the amount of
Si in solution. Thus, the aluminum matrix will progressively
enriches in Si until a complete breaking-up and
spheroidization of these phases, which are the slower
processes, have been achieved. Afterward, coarsening
of second phases by Oswald ripening will be the main
process taking place. During the rapid cooling that follows
the homogenization heating, this excess of Si will remain
in solution. This Si in excess can lead to an increase in the
driving force for precipitation of intermediate Mg2Si
particles during the aging stage, thereby increasing the
particle quantity while reducing their size. In order to verify
this statement more research need to be done.
CONCLUSIONS
The phase β-AlFeSi transformed into α-AlFeSi after
homogenization. Fragmentation and spheroidization of
the α-Al-Fe-Si occurred during homogenization which is
a temperature-time dependent process. Greater degree of
spheroidization was achieved only after 6 hours of heat
treatment at 560 °C. The microstructure of the billets heat
treated at those conditions imparted an adequate
combination of tensile properties and surface finish to
the extruded products.
11. LYNCH C. V.- Z. Metallkde, 62: 715,1971.
12. DEVADAS C., I. MUSULIN & O. CELLIERS.- Proc. of
the Fifth Int. Aluminum Extrusion Tech. Seminar, 1:121-
128, 1992,
13. MONDOLFO F.- AluminumAlloy-Structure and
Properties: Butter Worths, London-Boston, 1976.
14. MUNSON D.- J. Inst. Met., 95: 217, 1967.
15. MERCHANT H. D., T. Z. KATTAMIS & J. G.
MORRIS.- In Continuous Casting of Non-Ferrous Metals
ans Alloys, H. D Merchant, D. E Tyler and C. H. Chia,
Editor. TMS Pub. 1-66, 1966.
16. DONS L.- Z. Metalkde.- 75: 170-174, 1985.
17. SUN & LF MONDOLFO.- J. Inst. Met. 95: 384, 1967.
18. QUINTERO-SAYAGO O., C. HURTADO & S.
RAMIREZ.- In Alloy Theory and Phase Equilibria, D.
Farkas & D. F. Dyment Editors, ASM Pub. 81-90, 1986.
19. LIU P., T. THORVALDSOON & G. L. DUNLOP.-
Materials Science and Technology, 2: 1009-1018, 1986.
20. SPERRY P. R.- Third Int´l Aluminum extrusion
Technology Seminar. 1: 21-29, 1984.
21. ZHEN L. & S. B. KANG.- Metallurgical and Materials
Transactions A, 28(A): 1489-1497, 1997.

GRATEFULNESS
The authors wish to thank Aluminum Reynolds of
Venezuela. The experimental alloys were cast, heat treated and
extruded at this plant.

REFERENCES
1. SKJERPE P.- Metallurgical Transactions A, February
18(A): 189-200, 1987.
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23
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