On Mon, 10 Feb 2014 18:18:02 +0000, Bob Lowe
wrote:

replying to John B. , Bob Lowe wrote:
slocombjb wrote:

A substantial amount of the high performance sailboat masts and spars
are 6061, usually marked "T6" :-) I've no idea why as 5052 and 6061
are roughly the same strength so I assume it has something to do with
availability or cost.

--
Cheers,
John B.


Again, just my opinion. When I first read that some one said that T6 was
not a proper 'grade' for aluminum, I thought,wait a minute...I have heard
many times things like, "Use T6" or "Get me some T6" or "T6 will do just
fine." We know that that the full Identification number of a metal alloy
is the chemical make-up of the alloy and of course 6061 is a common one.
If someone says 'use T6', and knows what he is talking about, he is saying
that I don't really care just what the alloy type or alloy number it is,
just that the 'T6' is tough enough and suitable for the job and some types
are not adaptable for T6 hardening so he is covered.

Or he's operating in a context where T6 may assume a specific family
of alloys. For example, you're not likely to find 7075 or 2024 in a
marine fabricator's shop where T6 plate would almost cetainly mean
6061.

There's a big difference in the mechanical properties of alloys in the
T6 condition, and T6 is not enough to specify the strength of a piece
of stock. The yield and tensile of 7075-T6 is almost twice that of
6061-T6.

--
Ned Simmons