Where Do We Get Alumninium 6061

Aluminium 6061-T6 elements’ extraction

6061-T6 is hardened precipitation of aluminium alloy that contains silicon and magnesium as its core elements. There are three raw materials essential for the making of 6061-T6 namely; Carbon, electricity and aluminium oxide.  Aluminium oxide is extracted from bauxite; a clay-like soil found some meters underground.  A refining process involving the use of lime and caustic soda is then done to extract the alumina from the bauxite.  The mixture is then heated and filtered until it gains a resemblance of a white powder.  Then the aluminium oxide is converted into aluminium through electrolysis. The electrolysis process involves running electricity between positive and negative carbon anodes. The anodes react with the [pic 1][pic 2] in the alumina and form carbon dioxide, leading to the formation of a liquid which is aluminium. Then aluminium is tapped from the cells.

The blending of aluminium 6061-T6

6061-T6 has a density of 0.0975 lb./in^2  and is highly pure with aluminium content racking up to 95.85% to 98.56% of the total.  To increase durability and hardness aluminium is heat-treated together with Magnesium and silicon.  The process involves two procedures; heat treating and aging. The first procedure involves rising of the alloy temperature to about[pic 3][pic 4]F and maintaining that temperature for an hour to dissolve every alloying element in the aluminium. Then the alloy is quenched with water to cool it faster enough to avoid precipitation of the alloying elements after cooling. The result is a solid solution of silicon, magnesium and other elements in aluminium at room temperature.  The material is then heated at temperatures between [pic 5][pic 6]F and [pic 7][pic 8] F leading to the formation of ordered arrays of atoms in the aluminium matrix hence strengthening it.