Prediction and measurement of relieved residual stress by the cryogenic heat treatment for Al6061 alloy: mechanical properties and microstructure

The purpose of this study is to predict the residual stress resulting from the cryogenic heat treatment (CHT) which affects the mechanical properties and microstructure for Al6061 alloy. The CHT is very effective method to reduce the residual stress by quenching media such as liquid nitrogen, boiling water and steam. In this study, experimental T6 and CHT are carried out to measure the temperature of Al parts and to determine the convective heat transfer coefficient. This coefficient is used to predict the residual stress during FE-simulation. In order to consider the relaxation of residual stress during artificial ageing, the Zener-Wert-Avrami function with elasto-plastic nonlinear analysis is used in this study. The predicted residual stress is compared with the measured one by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and is found to be in good agreement with results of the FE-simulation. Further, after T6 and CHT, the electrical conductivity and hardness of the Al6061 alloy are measured to estimate the mechanical properties and its microstructure such as precipitates is observed by Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Also, the creation of precipitates during T6 and CHT are verified by XRD with component analysis. It is found that CHT affects the residual stress, mechanical properties, and precipitation of the Al 6061 alloy.