Engineering application study of high-performance aluminum alloy 6A13-T6

To address the application challenges of the novel high-strength aluminum alloy material 6A13-T6 in engineering, experimental and numerical simulation studies were conducted. Firstly, material tensile tests, axial compression tests, and pure bending tests were conducted, and the applicability of the specification was evaluated. Subsequently, finite element models were employed to analyze the overall mechanical performance and economic indicators of three typical engineering structures (grid shells, grid trusses, and glass curtain walls) based on the test results. The findings indicate that 6A13-T6 exhibits a non-proportional yield strength (f_0.2) of 340 MPa, an ultimate strength of 352 MPa, and a post-necking elongation of 14.5%. Design calculations for axially compressed and flexural members made of 6A13-T6 high-strength aluminum alloy can be conservatively carried out following Chinese design specification. The use of 6A13-T6 aluminum alloy can reduce material consumption in structures, with a maximum reduction of up to 29% compared to other commonly used aluminum alloys and up to 72% compared to common steel materials. Therefore, the new high-strength aluminum alloy 6A13-T6 has obvious engineering application value and has been used in a hotel curtain wall project.