ALLOY 6013 SHEET

Maximum Strength 6XXX Series Sheet

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ALLOY 6013 SHEET
Maximum Strength 6XXX Series Sheet ALCOA TECHNICAL FACT SHEET

I N T R O D U C T I O N
Alcoa alloy 6013 is a weldable high strength 6XXX series alloy that exhibits 7XXX strength levels in the T6 temper. Compared to 6061-T6, alloy 6013
provides higher strength (25%) and improved toughness and fatigue properties with equivalent corrosion resistance.
Alloy 6013’s attractive combination of mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, weldability and formability makes it ideal for structural
and automotive body sheet applications. In particular it has been identified for welded, stamped or roll formed bumper reinforcement assembly
applications and stamped sheet wheels. Like 7021 and 7029/7129, 6013 will respond to artificial aging treatments to achieve T6 strength
levels. At this strength level, alloy 6013 may be used in many sheet applications in the same thickness as the steel previously employed
allowing maximum weight savings without sacrificing strength.

C H E M I C A L C O M P O S I T I O N L I M I T S ( W T . % )
Others Others
Alloy Si Fe Cu Mn Mg Cr Zn Ti V Zr Ga Each Total Aluminum
6013 0.60-1.0 0.5 0.6-1.1 0.2-0.8 0.8-1.2 0.1 0.25 0.1 – – – 0.05 0.15 Remainder
6061 0.40-0.8 0.7 0.15-0.40 0.15 0.8-1.2 0.04-0.35 0.25 0.15 – – – 0.05 0.15 Remainder
7021 0.25 0.4 0.25 0.1 1.2-1.8 0.05 5.0-6.0 0.1 – 0.08-0.18 – 0.05 0.15 Remainder
7029 0.1 0.12 0.5-0.9 0.03 1.3-2.0 – 4.2-5.2 0.05 0.05 – – 0.03 0.10 Remainder
7129 0.15 0.3 0.5-0.9 0.1 1.3-2.0 0.1 4.2-5.2 0.05 0.05 – 0.03 0.05 0.15 Remainder

M E C H A N I C A L P R O P E R T I E S
Ultimate
Alloy and Temper Tensile Strength Yield Strength Elongation
MPa KSI MPa KSI % in 2 inches

6013-T4 Minimum 275 40 145 21 20

Typical 325 47 185 27 24

7021-O Minimum 165 25 125 18 12

Typical 195 28 145 22 17

6061-T6 Minimum 295 42 245 35 10

Typical 315 45 280 40 12

6013-T6 Minimum 360 52 320 46 8

Typical 405 59 370 54 9

7021-T61, -T62 Minimum 380 55 345 50 8

Typical 430 62 365 53 13

7029/7129/T61 Minimum 380 55 340 49 10

Typical 420 61 380 55 15

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ALCOA INC., NORTH AMERICAN ROLLED PRODUCTS

P.O. BOX 8025 • BETTENDORF, IOWA 52772 • (800) 523-9596 • www.millproducts-alcoa.com
ALLOY 6013 SHEET
Maximum Strength 6XXX Series Sheet ALCOA TECHNICAL FACT SHEET

F O R M I N G
Field forming trials of 6013-T4 have demonstrated forming performance equivalent to 7021-O. 6013 can be formed in the W temper condition,
if formed within four hours after solution heat treatment. Limited bumper face bar trials have shown that the overall forming characteristics
of 6013 are better in the W versus T4 temper condition.
Alloy 6013 is ideally suited for rolled formed applications because of its excellent bending performance in the full hard T6 temper condition.
This feature is unique to 6013 alloy compared to alloy 6061 and other high strength 7XXX bumper structural alloys like 7021 and 7029/7129.
6013-T4 exhibits better bend capability and lower springback characteristics than high strength steel (120 ksi and higher). Successful roll
formed bumper trials conducted with alloy 6013-T4 on tooling designed for high strength steels (120 ksi or higher) have demonstrated its
capability to attain high sweep numbers (50 - 60).

TYPICAL BEND PERFORMANCE DATA FORMING: RELATIVE RANKING OF ALLOY (A)

Min. 90° Alloy and Overall Stretch- Limiting Bending
Alloy/Temper Bend Radius Springback Temper Ranking ability (B) Strain (C) (D)
(R/t) (Deg) 6013-T4 3 3 2 2
6013-T4 1.00 5° 6013-T6 5 5 5 5
6013-T6 1.50 7° 7021-O 3 3 3 3
7021-O 2.00 4° 7029-W 1 1 1 1
7029/7129-W 1.00 1.5° 7129-W 2 1 1 2

A comparison of the relative ranking of current bumper/reinforcement alloys.

A. This ranking is for this group of alloys. One is best.

B. Stretchability is measured by limiting dome height 102 mm (four-inch) hemispherical punch test.
C. Limiting strain data determined by 102 mm (four-inch) hemispherical punch test.
D. Minimum bend radii for -W temper alloys is limited by the severity of orange peel and not fracturing. The -W temper can be bent to 1/2t
radius without fracture. This is not true for -O and -T4. Identical ranking indicates comparable performance in this test.

J O I N I N G
6013 sheet is weldable using gas metal arc, gas tungsten arc, resistance spot, and seam welding processes. It is not susceptible to hot
cracking during welding as are some of the 7XXX series alloys. However, since 6013 contains approximately 1% copper, it should not be
welded with 5XXX series filler materials as is common practice with other 6XXX series alloys, due to the likelihood of weld cracking. Filler
materials in 4XXX series, such as 4043, 4047, or 4643 are recommended for this reason.
Typical as-welded yield and ultimate tensile strengths of 6013-T6 welded with 4043 filler are 34ksi and 40ksi, respectively, which represents
an improvement over 6061-T6 of approximately 17%. If higher strengths are required it is recommended that components be welded in
the T4 or T6 temper and post weld aged at 400° F for one hour. Typical yield and ultimate tensile strengths for weldments given this treatment
are 41ksi and 42ksi, respectively. Where the highest joint strengths are required 6013 should be welded in the -O, -T4, or -T6 tempers,
and re-solution heat treated, quenched and aged after welding. Yield strengths of 47ksi and ultimate tensile strengths of 55ksi may be
obtained using this post weld heat treatment. While distortion of the component is a possibility during the quenching operation, it can often
be controlled to within acceptable limits by additions of glycol to the quench medium.

PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE

ALCOA INC., NORTH AMERICAN ROLLED PRODUCTS

P.O. BOX 8025 • BETTENDORF, IOWA 52772 • (800) 523-9596 • www.millproducts-alcoa.com
ALLOY 6013 SHEET
Maximum Strength 6XXX Series Sheet ALCOA TECHNICAL FACT SHEET

A R T I F I C I A L A G I N G P R A C T I C E S
1 hour @ 400° F or 4 hours @ 375° F. Both practices denote metal temperatures.

C O R R O S I O N
Alloy 6013-T6 is resistant to exfoliation corrosion by all current tests and is virtually immune to stress corrosion cracking (SCC).
When exposed to severe environments such as a seacoast environment, 6013-T6 products may exhibit some intergranular (IG) corrosion.
This shallow IG attack is similar to that which occasionally appears in other 6XXX-T6 series alloys in similar environments. The type of IG
attack which occurs in 6013 is not expected to have a detrimental effect on the strength of products any greater than that resulting from
pitting corrosion and does not lead to exfoliation and SCC.
Like all aluminum alloys in a corrosive environment, alloy 6013, when coupled with dissimilar metals such as steel, is subject to galvanic
corrosion. Proper protection must be taken to ensure that damaging corrosion does not occur. Protection can be accomplished by treatment
of the steel. Additional protection can be obtained through the use of adhesives and sealants. Thorough testing of the finished assembly is
necessary to determine if the protection used is adequate. (Ref: SAE Paper 760166, “Corrosion Performance of Painted Aluminum and Steel
Body Sheet,” by King and Englehart.)

F I N I S H I N G
The 6XXX series alloys are among the best with regard to finishing characteristics. Mechanical finishes such as scratch-brushing, buffing,
grinding, polishing, and others are readily applicable to these alloys and provide highly satisfactory results.

C O N C L U S I O N S
Alloy 6013 is a new weldable aluminum alloy specifically developed for high strength applications. The alloy is generally used for, but not
limited to, welded, stamped or roll formed bumpers and other structural applications. Its strength is similar to the bumper alloys 7021
and 7029/7129 but does not exhibit embrittlement due to welding as the 7XXX series alloys. 6013 in the T6 temper has a yield strength
comparable to many HSLA steels and with proper design a 60% weight savings can be achieved. Finishing systems and repair are similar
to steel in all aspects including time.
The properties described in this technical fact sheet represent the best current information on alloy 6013. Periodic updates will be provided
when additional data becomes available. The end user is expected to evaluate and test the alloy, temper, and finishing method for each specific
application. Alcoa’s warranty is limited to that published on the reverse side of its sales order acknowledgment form.

PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE

ALCOA INC., NORTH AMERICAN ROLLED PRODUCTS

P.O. BOX 8025 • BETTENDORF, IOWA 52772 • (800) 523-9596 • www.millproducts-alcoa.com 5/07