A microstructural study of flash welded and aged 6061 and 6013 aluminum alloys

Extruded, flash welded and artificially aged 6061 and 6013 aluminum alloys were analyzed with the use of techniques such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging, selected area electron diffraction (SAD) and X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) in order to identify the precipitates present in both alloys. Vickers microindentation hardness measurements were performed at different distances from the weld interface. The results show a small decrease in hardness near the 6013 alloy weld interface. On the other hand, there is an important hardness drop near the 6061 weld interface. This drop can be explained by a lack of fine structural precipitation during the aging treatment in the 6061 weld interface zone.