Deformation Characteristics of 6066 and 6069 Aluminum Alloys at Elevated Temperatures

Currently liners of high-pressure hydrogen storage container for fuel cell vehicles are manufactured from the 6061 aluminum alloy pipes through spinning at elevated temperatures. Since the surroundings of the containers are reinforced with a large amount of high-cost CFRP, the use of 6066 or 6069 aluminum alloy with higher strength than 6061 is demanded to lower the cost of the container. However, the formability of these aluminum alloys at elevated temperatures has not been elucidated yet. In this study, tensile deformation characteristics of 6066 and 6069 aluminum alloys at temperatures ranging from 25 to 550°C were investigated. The total elongation of 6066 aluminum alloy was higher than that of 6069 aluminum alloy at 450°C. This may be caused by the lower volume fraction of constituent particles. The flow stresses of the two alloys were almost the same, and were decreased with increasing testing temperature. The increase in elongation and decrease in strength observed in the two alloys were attributable to dynamic recovery.