Characterization

Aluminum alloys are increasingly being used to manufacture parts for the automotive industry. The main reasons for this trend are the need to reduce the emission of polluting gases and to save fuel by reducing the weight of components. This is possible with the use of precipitation-hardenable alloys by means of thermal or thermomechanical treatments making it possible to obtain a high mechanical strength-to-weight ratio. Among the heat-treatable aluminum alloys those in the 6XXX series are the easiest to extrude and weld. However these alloys have lower mechanical strength than the 2XXX and 7XXX series alloys used in the aeronautical industry. To overcome this limitation the 6013 alloy was recently developed with a higher copper content and greater mechanical strength than the traditional 6XXX series alloys. To manufacture components from these alloys one of the processes used in the industry is spark welding of extruded aluminium profiles for a variety of reasons from optimizing microstructure and mechanical properties to operational and economic viability.