6061 vs 6063

[dereklola]

Is 6063-T832 tubing almost as good as 6061-T6 - structurally and fatigue etc?

I've been brought up to 'only' use 6061-T6 but the tube size I needed was only available in 6063-T832 and of course the salesman said it's just as good.

I don't need a 5-page technical treatise - just an honest opinion or two. The part is hardly designed to maximum stress etc

Thx - Derek

[nulrich]

Here's a simple summary of aluminum properties from McMaster-Carr. The second page has strength data:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#8975kac/=bnypxt

6063 is roughly half as strong as 6061, which is itself only a moderately strong aluminum.

What tube size do you need? I'd be surprised if it wasn't available in 6061, perhaps from a different supplier.

Nathan

[cerojo]

6061 T6 that is... and you are well advised to use it instead of 6063, unless you do not need any reasonable strength and the price differential is substantial, both. You will find that is not the case.

[starkejt]

We are a metals distributor, so trust me when I say that unfortunately the salesman rarely knows anything about the material beyond what it costs and how much is on the floor. 6063 is usually referred to as architectural tubing, has marginally better corrosion resistance than 6061, but as Nathan says, 6063 is not nearly as strong as 6061. In practice, a part that you make that is perfectly appropriate for use on a racecar because it is 6061 has a higher chance of failure if made from 6063.

What size are you looking for? I'm a little surprised to hear it wasn't available in 6061. 6061 is made in a huge variety of ODs and wall thicknesses in both T6 and -0 conditions for aircraft applications.

[dereklola]

Thx evryone. I needed 1-1/8 OD which is a little bit of an odd ball for local stockists. I've used it in the past for water tubing where either 6061 or 6063 has proven OK. This application was for the "Pit Bug" - failure not as critical as on the race car!!!

I've ordered some 6061 from Aircraft Spruce.

[RobLav]

Carroll Smith has a quote concerning salesman.

[dereklola]

Carroll Smith has a quote concerning salesman.

Carroll had many good quotes - I loved his style.

[Siberian64]

Bottom line: do the appropriate analysis to determine the material properties required to meet the requirements of the application. Then choose the alloy that best meets those requirements (cost being one of them).

As pointed out in a previous reply, 6063 is "architectural" since it extrudes and maintains a good finish needing little additional work for cosmetics (used commonly for window and and door frames).

We just built a custom chassis dolly for our Swift 016 using 6063-T52 (3x3 tube) and it is more than adequate from a structural point of view and we saved about $200 over using 6061. It is quite robust and I think a bit over-kill (but safe).

Shameless plug: anybody needing a custom chassis dolly - contact me...

-Steve (Husky Motorsports Technology, LLC)