Effect of 0.1% vanadium addition on precipitation behavior and mechanical properties of Al-6063 commercial alloy

The effect of 0.1 wt% vanadium additions on the precipitation behavior and the mechanical properties of a commercial Al-6063 alloy were studied. A master alloy containing 3 wt% V was added during casting. The cast ingot was homogenized, extruded and cooled employing two different cooling modes: forced air and water. Further aging was carried out following the standard T5 and T6 treatments for alloys with and without vanadium. The microstructural characterization, mechanical properties, and fractografic study were carried out. The addition of 0.1% vanadium to Al-6063 alloy under T5 treatment, accelerates the precipitation kinetics of β″ and β′ phases. The alloys with and without vanadium under T6 show a similar behavior, the co-existence of β′ and β″ precipitation is observed in both alloys. In general, vanadium additions to Al 6063 have a detrimental effect on the mechanical properties, showing only a beneficial effect for certain specific conditions.