What does it mean when I see something like " lot of 6061 aluminum tubes" ?
I mean what does the number mean and how can I make sense of it ?

Thanks !

pogo wrote:
What does it mean when I see something like " lot of 6061 aluminum tubes" ?
I mean what does the number mean and how can I make sense of it ?

Thanks !


The alloy. If it's 6061-T(something) then the end numbers specify the
heat treat.

Take a look at http://www.matweb.com for details on specific alloys
(dunno where you'd go for an overview, but searching on "aluminum
alloys" might help).

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Posting from Google? See http://cfaj.freeshell.org/google/

Like Tim said, 6061 refers to the specific alloy. It is often followed by
something like T-4 or T-6 which has to do with the heat treatment.
It is all explained pretty well at:
http://www.alcotec.com/techpage.htm
Paul


"pogo" wrote in message
news
What does it mean when I see something like " lot of 6061 aluminum tubes"
?
I mean what does the number mean and how can I make sense of it ?

Thanks !

In article ,
says...
What does it mean when I see something like " lot of 6061 aluminum tubes" ?
I mean what does the number mean and how can I make sense of it ?

Thanks !

From "Alloy and Temper Designation Systems for Aluminum"

1xxx 99%+ aluminum
2xxx copper
3xxx manganese
4xxx silicon
5xxx magnesium
6xxx magnesium & silicon
7xxx zinc
8xxx other
9xxx unused


The first digit refers to the major alloy group. In the 2xxx thru 8xxx
alloys, the last three digits are assigned arbitrarily to identify
specific alloys.

Ned Simmons

What the other guys said for the short answer. For the REALLY LONG
answer, download a copy of the
"METALLIC MATERIALS AND ELEMENTS FOR
AEROSPACE VEHICLE STRUCTURES"

http://assist.daps.dla.mil/docimages...1/MILHBK5J.PD5

All 1700 pages of it. Shows all the common aluminum alloys with
substaital writeups on the popular ones. 6061 rates about 30 pages IIRC.

pogo wrote:

What does it mean when I see something like " lot of 6061 aluminum tubes" ?
I mean what does the number mean and how can I make sense of it ?

Thanks !

On Mon, 27 Feb 2006 19:47:07 -0500, Ned Simmons
wrote:

In article ,
says...
What does it mean when I see something like " lot of 6061 aluminum tubes" ?
I mean what does the number mean and how can I make sense of it ?

Thanks !

From "Alloy and Temper Designation Systems for Aluminum"

1xxx 99%+ aluminum
2xxx copper
3xxx manganese
4xxx silicon
5xxx magnesium
6xxx magnesium & silicon
7xxx zinc
8xxx other
9xxx unused


The first digit refers to the major alloy group. In the 2xxx thru 8xxx
alloys, the last three digits are assigned arbitrarily to identify
specific alloys.

Ned Simmons

9xxx will be used for transparent aluminum.

Gunner



"A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them;
the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences."
- Proverbs 22:3

Thanks for all of the GREAT info!
How would I refer to the number if I were ordering some 6061 aluminum ? Call
it "alloy number" ? "alloy mixture" ?


"pogo" wrote in message
news
What does it mean when I see something like " lot of 6061 aluminum tubes"
?
I mean what does the number mean and how can I make sense of it ?

Thanks !

"6061-T6" or "6061-T6 Aluminum" will do just fine. If you just say 6061
they will know it is aluminum but will ask you for what temper you want.

pogo wrote:
Thanks for all of the GREAT info!
How would I refer to the number if I were ordering some 6061 aluminum ? Call
it "alloy number" ? "alloy mixture" ?


"pogo" wrote in message
news
What does it mean when I see something like " lot of 6061 aluminum tubes"

?

I mean what does the number mean and how can I make sense of it ?

Thanks !

RoyJ wrote:

"6061-T6" or "6061-T6 Aluminum" will do just fine. If you just say 6061
they will know it is aluminum but will ask you for what temper you want.

pogo wrote:

Thanks for all of the GREAT info!
How would I refer to the number if I were ordering some 6061 aluminum
? Call
it "alloy number" ? "alloy mixture" ?

Or they'll just hand you whatever 6061 they have in stock, and it'll
range from really hard* to really soft.

* I'm not sure of what the range of hardness there is available in 6061,
because I've only got experience with 6061-T6. T6 is the most common,
and if you just ask for 6061 and get it that's most likely what you'll
get -- but you can't be sure.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Posting from Google? See http://cfaj.freeshell.org/google/

At most places if you say "6061" you will get some T6 or T651, better
places will ask if you want som "T0"

The hardness differences you see is more likely T6 that has been sitting
around for a while. We did a bending job with customer supplied 6061-T6.
Operators complained LOUDLY that they could not hold the tolerances.
After we sorted the stock into "the stuff with the green label" and "the
stuff with the blue label" and did two setups, things went much better.
We strongly suspected that the stiffer batch had been sitting on the
racks for a couple of years, the other was mill fresh.

Tim Wescott wrote:

RoyJ wrote:

"6061-T6" or "6061-T6 Aluminum" will do just fine. If you just say
6061 they will know it is aluminum but will ask you for what temper
you want.

pogo wrote:

Thanks for all of the GREAT info!
How would I refer to the number if I were ordering some 6061 aluminum
? Call
it "alloy number" ? "alloy mixture" ?


Or they'll just hand you whatever 6061 they have in stock, and it'll
range from really hard* to really soft.

* I'm not sure of what the range of hardness there is available in 6061,
because I've only got experience with 6061-T6. T6 is the most common,
and if you just ask for 6061 and get it that's most likely what you'll
get -- but you can't be sure.

Gunner wrote:
On Mon, 27 Feb 2006 19:47:07 -0500, Ned Simmons
wrote:


In article ,
says...

What does it mean when I see something like " lot of 6061 aluminum tubes" ?
I mean what does the number mean and how can I make sense of it ?

Thanks !

From "Alloy and Temper Designation Systems for Aluminum"

1xxx 99%+ aluminum
2xxx copper
3xxx manganese
4xxx silicon
5xxx magnesium
6xxx magnesium & silicon
7xxx zinc
8xxx other
9xxx unused


The first digit refers to the major alloy group. In the 2xxx thru 8xxx
alloys, the last three digits are assigned arbitrarily to identify
specific alloys.

Ned Simmons


9xxx will be used for transparent aluminum.

Gunner



"A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them;
the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences."
- Proverbs 22:3


LOL

Just thinking off the top of the head - no expert opinion -
The rack stuff likely went through a number of thermal cycles. Since Al is softer
than the typical steel we work with - it might have had an internal migration of alloy
rather flowing in a sense. Something like glass.

Martin

Martin Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
NRA LOH & Endowment Member
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder


RoyJ wrote:
At most places if you say "6061" you will get some T6 or T651, better
places will ask if you want som "T0"

The hardness differences you see is more likely T6 that has been sitting
around for a while. We did a bending job with customer supplied 6061-T6.
Operators complained LOUDLY that they could not hold the tolerances.
After we sorted the stock into "the stuff with the green label" and "the
stuff with the blue label" and did two setups, things went much better.
We strongly suspected that the stiffer batch had been sitting on the
racks for a couple of years, the other was mill fresh.

Tim Wescott wrote:

RoyJ wrote:

"6061-T6" or "6061-T6 Aluminum" will do just fine. If you just say
6061 they will know it is aluminum but will ask you for what temper
you want.

pogo wrote:

Thanks for all of the GREAT info!
How would I refer to the number if I were ordering some 6061
aluminum ? Call
it "alloy number" ? "alloy mixture" ?



Or they'll just hand you whatever 6061 they have in stock, and it'll
range from really hard* to really soft.

* I'm not sure of what the range of hardness there is available in
6061, because I've only got experience with 6061-T6. T6 is the most
common, and if you just ask for 6061 and get it that's most likely
what you'll get -- but you can't be sure.


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In article , says...

9xxx will be used for transparent aluminum.

Gunner


Does this count?

The Air Force Research Laboratory's materials and manufacturing directorate is testing
aluminum oxynitride -- ALONtm -- as a replacement for the traditional multi-layered glass
transparencies now used in existing ground and air armored vehicles.
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123012131

And Scotty was just a bit early for the mouse/microphone:
http://www.overclockers.com/articles1281/

SteveA

Actually Scotty was late.

In the late or middle 60's - Sandia announced the transparent Al - for windows in
bathrooms and elsewhere. They discovered it and advanced it to a product. Others
have licensed it and gone from there. Sandia is a National Laboratory of the U.S.A.
I used to service the account as a Senior Scientist while with Schlumberger.
It was some place.

Still is.

Martin
Martin Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
NRA LOH & Endowment Member
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder



Steve A wrote:
In article , says...

9xxx will be used for transparent aluminum.

Gunner



Does this count?

The Air Force Research Laboratory's materials and manufacturing directorate is testing
aluminum oxynitride -- ALONtm -- as a replacement for the traditional multi-layered glass
transparencies now used in existing ground and air armored vehicles.
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123012131

And Scotty was just a bit early for the mouse/microphone:
http://www.overclockers.com/articles1281/

SteveA

----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

replying to pogo, Steven wrote:
The first digit is the alloy type second digit is the modification of the
alloy and the last two digits are the purity of the aluminum so 6061 means
that in this case magnesium and silicon were added to the aluminum and that it
was not modified and it is 61 percent pure aluminum

--
posted from
http://www.polytechforum.com/metalwo...an-478107-.htm

Steven wrote:
replying to pogo, Steven wrote:
The first digit is the alloy type second digit is the modification of
the alloy and the last two digits are the purity of the aluminum so
6061 means that in this case magnesium and silicon were added to the
aluminum and that it was not modified and it is 61 percent pure
aluminum

Bull**** , look it up . 6061 is approx 95% aluminum .

--
Snag

"Steven" wrote in
message roups.com...
replying to pogo, Steven wrote:
The first digit is the alloy type second digit is the modification
of the
alloy and the last two digits are the purity of the aluminum so 6061
means
that in this case magnesium and silicon were added to the aluminum
and that it
was not modified and it is 61 percent pure aluminum

--
posted from
http://www.polytechforum.com/metalwo...an-478107-.htm

This patent for solution heat treating mentions the composition of the
aluminum alloy originally called 61S, before aluminum alloy
designations were extended to 4 digits.
http://www.google.com/patents/US2658845

Steven wrote:

The first digit is the alloy type second digit is the modification of
the alloy and the last two digits are the purity of the aluminum so
6061 means that in this case magnesium and silicon were added to the
aluminum and that it was not modified and it is 61 percent pure
aluminum

Thanks. How can it be "modified"? What does "not modified" mean?

On Thu, 26 May 2016 15:31:11 -0500, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

Steven wrote:
replying to pogo, Steven wrote:
The first digit is the alloy type second digit is the modification of
the alloy and the last two digits are the purity of the aluminum so
6061 means that in this case magnesium and silicon were added to the
aluminum and that it was not modified and it is 61 percent pure
aluminum

Bull**** , look it up . 6061 is approx 95% aluminum .

To be pedantic, the ASM standard specifies "Al 95.8% - 98.6%",
although the percentages of alloying elements are often specified and
then "Remainder (or Balance) - Al".

--
cheers,

John B.

Wish I had my scanner ready, lots of data. Terry is Correct.

6061 consists of :
0.4-0.8 Si, 0.7 Fe, 0.15-0.40 Cu, 0.15 Mn, 0.8-1.2 Mg, 0.04-0.35 Cr,
0.25 Zn,0.15 Ti, total variance .05 ea and 0.15 total all. Rest is Al.

Mostly AL.

Now there are special versions of 6061 that are called 6061/Si-C/47f
which is the AA-registered alloy 6061 reinforced with 47% vol of
continuous Si-C fibers. A special version indeed.

The Mg and Mn indicate work hardening alloy.
Mixing Cu or Cu-Mg or Mg-Si or Zn-Mg Zn-Mg-Cu - age hardening.

Metals Handbook, second edition, Desk Edition,
75 Anniversary ASM Handbooks.

Martin

On 5/26/2016 3:31 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Steven wrote:
replying to pogo, Steven wrote:
The first digit is the alloy type second digit is the modification of
the alloy and the last two digits are the purity of the aluminum so
6061 means that in this case magnesium and silicon were added to the
aluminum and that it was not modified and it is 61 percent pure
aluminum

Bull**** , look it up . 6061 is approx 95% aluminum .

On Thu, 26 May 2016 23:48:27 -0000 (UTC), John Doe
wrote:

Steven wrote:

The first digit is the alloy type second digit is the modification of
the alloy and the last two digits are the purity of the aluminum so
6061 means that in this case magnesium and silicon were added to the
aluminum and that it was not modified and it is 61 percent pure
aluminum

Thanks. How can it be "modified"? What does "not modified" mean?

The first number is the primary alloying element or combination of
elements (6 indicates the magnesium/silicon alloy group). Except for
the 1xxx series, the second number refers to a possible modification
of an earlier alloy of the same group. This "modification" can be a
variety of things, but often refers to a change in the limits of
alloying element percentages or llimits of impurities. One example is
7075 vs. 7175. The latter has the same basic alloying elements, but
somewhat lower levels of silicon and iron. It's better for forging
than 7075.

The last two digits are purely arbitrary for all but the 1xxx series.
In the 1xxx series, the last two numbers indicate the percentage of
aluminum, which, in this case, generally means the level of purity of
aluminum.

--
Ed Huntress