Analysis of the intermetallic phase transformation occurring during homogenization of 6xxx aluminum alloys

During the homogenization of 6xxx aluminum alloys, the needle-shaped beta-AlFeSi intermetallics are transformed into a more extrudable rod-like alpha phase. In an attempt to reduce production costs, an increase in the homogenization temperature allowed a corresponding decrease in cycle time. To ensure that the phase transformation was complete with this shortened time, various techniques were employed to characterize the intermetallics present in the microstructures of as-cast and homogenized aluminum billets.