Pre-alloyed micron-sized 6005A Al alloy (AA 6005A) powders, with a Mg/Si atomic ratio of 0.75, obtained by high pressure inert gas atomization were consolidated by uniaxial cold pressing at 200 MPa into cylindrical Al containers and hot extruded at 450, 480 and 500 °C with an extrusion rate of 7:1, followed by artificial T6 precipitation hardening. Ageing conditions were varied between 170 °C and 190 °C and times of 6, 7 and 8 hours. The microstructure of the extruded profiles was analysed using X-Ray diffractometry (XRD), light optical microscopy (LOM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to study the possible phase transformations. After our results, the peak-aging hardness condition was achieved at 180 °C for 6 h. Mechanical properties of the powder metallurgy (P/M) aluminium alloys consolidated by hot extrusion were superior to those of the extruded profiles of wrought alloy using conventional ingot metallurgy (I/M) billets. AA 6005A wrought P/M alloy via T6 heat treatment shown yield stress of 317 MPa and elongation of 21% at the extrusion pre-heating temperature of 500 °C.
Keywords: age hardening; aluminium alloy; mechanical properties; microstructural characteristics; powder extrusion; pre-alloyed powders.