Microstructures and properties of 6016 aluminum alloy with gradient composition

Weight reduction plays an important role in reducing fuel and emissions, and the heat-treatable 6016 aluminum alloy exhibits excellent application prospect in automobile lightweight. In this paper, ingot with constant Mg/Si ratio and decreased Mg and Si contents was obtained. Both the microstructure and the texture of 6016 aluminum alloy plate designed with different alloy compositions at the top/bottom were systematically investigated by electron backscatter diffraction technology(EBSD) measurement, as well as the room-temperature mechanical properties at the different positions with composition gradient. The results indicate that as Mg and Si contents increase, the grain size decreases, improving the cube texture with recrystallization and weakening the S texture. The strength of 6016 aluminum alloy decreases with lower Mg and Si contents.