Post-Aging-Induced Microstructural, Mechanical, and Ductile Fracture Characteristics of 6082-T6 Aluminum Alloy
MATERIALS RESEARCH EXPRESS, cilt.1, sa.1, ss.1-54, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 1 Sayı: 1
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1088/2053-1591/aeb090
- Dergi Adı: MATERIALS RESEARCH EXPRESS
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus, Materials Science & Engineering Collection (ProQuest), Technology Collection (ProQuest), Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Chemical Abstracts Core, Compendex, INSPEC, Directory of Open Access Journals
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-54
- Gazi Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
In this study, the effects of post-aging conditions on the mechanical properties, deformation behavior, and fracture characteristics of 6082-T6 aluminum alloy sheets were investigated, using tensile testing supported by Digital Image Correlation (DIC). Post-aging treatments were performed at 100, 200, 300, and 400 °C, with holding times of 30, 60, and 90 minutes at each temperature. The following parameters were determined from the tensile tests: yield strength, tensile strength, strain-hardening exponent, uniform elongation, total elongation, and energy absorption capacity. Microstructural and fracture analyses were performed using optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), while X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to evaluate phase-related structural changes. Hardness variations were assessed by Vickers hardness testing (HV5). Fracture-surface dimple morphologies were quantitatively evaluated using average dimple diameter and standard deviation values to assess the temperature- and time-dependent variation in fracture behavior. The results showed that aging at 200 °C for 60 min provided a highly favorable strength–ductility balance and was identified as the most efficient processing condition in terms of the combined mechanical response, with a yield strength of approximately 289 MPa, tensile strength of about 400 MPa, uniform elongation of 15.9%, total elongation of 17.4%, hardness of 115.6 HV, and energy absorption of 61.36 MJ/m³. At 300–400 °C, pronounced overaging occurred as precipitate coarsening reduced the effectiveness of precipitation strengthening, leading to significant degradation in mechanical performance. The strain-hardening response and energy absorption capacity were found to be strongly dependent on the aging condition. The results indicate a transition from relatively homogeneous deformation to strain-localized behavior as aging temperature increases, consistent with reduced deformation stability at elevated temperatures. Overall, these findings demonstrate that controlled post-aging can tailor the strength–ductility balance and fracture response of AA6082-T6 sheets.