6061-T451 Aluminum
6061-T451 aluminum is 6061 aluminum in the T451 temper. To achieve this temper, the metal is solution heat-treated, stress relieved, then naturally aged. The stress relief is accomplished by stretching the metal by an amount that depends on the type of standard wrought product being made (sheet, plate, bar, or forging).
The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare 6061-T451 aluminum to: 6000-series alloys (top), all aluminum alloys (middle), and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.
Mechanical Properties
Brinell Hardness
63
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
69 GPa 10 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
20 %
Fatigue Strength
95 MPa 14 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.33
Shear Modulus
26 GPa 3.8 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
170 MPa 24 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
240 MPa 34 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
130 MPa 19 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
400 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
170 °C 330 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
650 °C 1190 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
580 °C 1080 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
900 J/kg-K 0.21 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
170 W/m-K 97 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
24 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
43 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
140 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
9.5 % relative
Calomel Potential
-740 mV
Density
2.7 g/cm3 170 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
8.3 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
150 MJ/kg 66 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
1180 L/kg 140 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
40 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
120 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
14 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
50 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
24 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
31 points
Thermal Diffusivity
68 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
10 points
Alloy Composition
| Al | 95.9 to 98.6 | |
| Mg | 0.8 to 1.2 | |
| Si | 0.4 to 0.8 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.7 | |
| Cu | 0.15 to 0.4 | |
| Cr | 0.040 to 0.35 | |
| Zn | 0 to 0.25 | |
| Mn | 0 to 0.15 | |
| Ti | 0 to 0.15 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.15 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Further Reading
ASTM B308: Standard Specification for Aluminum-Alloy 6061-T6 Standard Structural Profiles
ASTM B211: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Bar, Rod, and Wire
ASTM B547: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Formed and Arc-Welded Round Tube
Advanced Materials in Automotive Engineering, Jason Rowe (editor), 2012
ASTM B209: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Sheet and Plate
Pressure Vessels: External Pressure Technology, 2nd ed., Carl T. F. Ross, 2011
EN 755-2: Aluminium and aluminium alloys. Extruded rod/bar, tube and profiles. Mechanical properties
EN 485-2: Aluminium and aluminium alloys. Sheet, strip and plate. Mechanical properties
Aluminum Standards and Data, Aluminum Association Inc., 2013
ASM Specialty Handbook: Aluminum and Aluminum Alloys, J. R. Davis (editor), 1993