Tailoring of mechanical properties of hydroformed aluminum tubes

Tailoring of the mechanical properties of hydroformed aluminum 6063-T4 tubes to those of aluminum 6063-T6 was performed by heat treatment. Quasi-static tensile tests and a SEM analysis were conducted to evaluate the change of the mechanical properties. The experimental results of the hydroformed tubes in T4 condition (before the heat treatment) show significant variations of the mechanical properties along the length due to the different extents of work hardening by hydroforming. The experimental results of the hydroformed tubes in T6 condition (after the heat treatment) show that the precipitation hardening successfully removed the effects of the non-uniform work hardening and resulted in the uniform mechanical properties in the tube.