Local Reinforcement of 6061 Aluminum Alloy Bar Using High-Frequency Induction Heating Apparatus

A commercial 6061 aluminum alloy bar was partially reinforced using a high-frequency induction heating apparatus. One end of the bar was locally heated for solution treatment (local solution treatment). The power supplied to a heating coil was adjusted based on the surface temperature of the bar, which was measured using a radiation thermometer. The temperature profiles and hardness distributions in the longitudinal direction were investigated after the local solution treatment. The results of this study are as follows. The local solution treatment achieved a rapid heating rate of 80 K/s, overheating of about 2 K at the temperature transition stage from the heating to holding process, and a small-scale temperature fluctuation (below +/- 8 K) in the holding process. The reproducibility of the temperature profile during the local solution treatment was also sufficient. An increase in the hardness was achieved from solution treatment at 723 K or more. A holding time of 5 min or more was not very important for increasing in the hardness. The partial reinforcement of a 6016 aluminum alloy bar can be realized by applying an induction heating apparatus. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.L-M2012820]