T6 Aerospace Grade Aluminum

T6 aerospace grade aluminum have excellent corrosion resistance, high strength and formability. 2000 series, 6000 series and 7000 series aluminum alloys with T6 temper are widely used in aviation, aerospace, ships, transportation and construction sectors. Aviation Equipment Company has selected 6061, 6063, 7075 t6 aerospace grade aluminum as the main skin material and some structural materials of aircraft aluminum alloy.

The key point of t6 aerospace grade aluminum is t6 temper. To understand t6 temper better, we should understand aging and quenching. Aging: The process of eliminating internal stress in metals. Quenching: heating the metal to a certain temperature and cooling it suddenly to reach the required hardness. 2000, 6000 and 7000 series aerospace grade aluminum plate can be quenched to improve their strength. T6 state means that after the aerospace aluminum plate is extruded from the extruder, the aluminum plate is cooled by water to cool down instantaneously, so that the aerospace grade aluminum plate can reach a higher hardness requirement (above 13.5 Webster hardness). The cooling time of air cooling is relatively long, usually 2-3 days, which we call natural aging; while the water cooling time is short, we call it artificial aging.

During the production process of the t6 aerospace grade aluminum, due to heat and extrusion, the density between the crystals is not uniform, and the energy cannot be fully released, and it is accumulated inside the aerospace aluminum plate. This energy is called internal stress. The production process of some users (such as heating, bending, deep drawing, stretching, etc.) will release the internal stress of the aerospace grade aluminum plate, causing the aluminum plate to bend, wave, and surface uneven, so it is necessary to release the internal stress of the aluminum plate first. The process of eliminating internal stress is very simple. After the aerospace aluminum plate goes down the assembly line, the manufacturer will add a process to stretch the aluminum plate with a machine to release the energy inside the aluminum plate. The state of the aluminum plate that eliminates internal stress is represented by the number Tx51, such as: 6061T651, 7075T651, etc.