The Effects of Mn Addition on Microstructure and Properties in 6061 Aluminium Alloy

The effects of Mn addition on the microstructure and hardness of 6061 aluminum alloy were studied by means of scanning electron microscope (SEM) , energy dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and hardness tester in this work. The results shows that rod and fishbone AlSiFeMn phase will be formed in the alloy with Mn addition in 6061 aluminium alloy, and the AlSiFeMn phase increases with the increasing of Mn content . By the mean of XRD, the Al4.07 Mn Si0.74 phase is found in the 6061 aluminium alloy from 0.7% to 1.5% Mn. The hardness increases with the increasing of Mn contents both for as-cast and for T6 heat treatment. However, the hardness growth rate for as-cast is much more than that for T6 heat treatment at the same Mn addition in the 6061 alloy. Mn has a little effect on the hardness for T6 heat treatment in 6061 alloy.