Microstructures and properties of 6016 aluminum alloy with gradient composition

Weight reduction plays an important role in reducing fuel and emissions,and the heat-treatable 6016 aluminum alloy exhibits excellent application prospect in automobile lightweight.In this paper,ingot with constant Mg/Si ratio and decreased Mg and Si contents was obtained.Both the microstructure and the texture of 6016 aluminum alloy plate designed with different alloy compositions at the top/bottom were systematically investigated by electron backscatter diffraction technology(EBSD)measurement,as well as the room-temperature mechanical properties at the different positions with composition gradient.The results indicate that as Mg and Si contents increase,the grain size decreases,improving the cube texture with recrystallization and weakening the S texture.The strength of 6016 aluminum alloy decreases with lower Mg and Si contents.