The Use of 6016 and 6101 Aluminum in Car Making

6016 aluminum sheet

6016 aluminum alloy is an Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloy developed by Alcoa. It has good fracture toughness, corrosion resistance and fatigue-relieving properties, especially excellent in forming performance, so it is widely used in the automotive field.

The outer plate of automobile covering parts is an important application direction of en aw 6016. 6016 aluminum alloy sheets are often used in parts such as automobile hoods, doors, truck lids, and roofs. Taking the outer plate of the automobile hood as an example, it not only affects the appearance and aerodynamic performance of the vehicle, but also needs to take into account lightweight, safety and manufacturing process feasibility.

6016 aluminum alloy has significant advantages in this regard. Its elongation can reach 22-25%, which is much higher than the 15-20% of ordinary steel. This allows it to stamp out complex streamlined shapes such as engine hoods. Moreover, it has a small rebound after stamping, with a rebound angle of about 3-5°, which can effectively reduce dimensional deviation and ensure assembly accuracy.

At the same time, the surface of 6016 aluminum alloy is smooth and has no orange peel after spraying. It has good corrosion resistance due to the natural oxide film and is not easy to rust after long-term use.

In terms of manufacturing process, 6016 aluminum alloy sheets need to go through solid solution treatment, pre-aging treatment (T4P) and baking varnish treatment. After such process treatment, 6016 aluminum alloy sheets can have good forming properties before stamping, and can quickly increase strength during the baking varnish process after stamping, and have high dent resistance.

European automakers generally use 6016 aluminum alloy plates for body panels, and their good forming properties are fully utilized. In recent years, with the increasing demand for lightweight in the domestic automobile industry, domestic companies are also actively researching and applying 6016 aluminum alloys.

6101 aluminum sheet

6101 aluminum alloy belongs to the low-alloyed Al-Mg-Si conductive aluminum alloy, which has high specific strength, good conductivity, corrosion resistance and formability, and has specific application scenarios in the automotive field.

In the conductive system of the car, 6101 aluminum alloy is very useful. For example, the power battery busbar, battery connection plate and other components of new energy vehicles are often made of high-conductivity aluminum alloys such as 6101.

Take the power battery busbar as an example. It is a key component that connects the battery module and the battery management system, and has extremely high conductivity requirements. The high conductivity of 6101 aluminum alloy can reduce resistance, improve energy conversion efficiency, and make the battery charge and discharge performance better, thereby improving the overall performance of new energy vehicles.

In terms of manufacturing process, the processing flow of 6101 aluminum alloy is generally casting - rolling - solution treatment - cold drawing - aging heat treatment. Through such a process, 6101 aluminum alloy can have higher strength and meet the comprehensive requirements of automotive parts in terms of strength and conductivity.