Effect of Thermal Aging Parameters on Microstructure and Properties of 6061 Aluminum Alloy in Roller-Skating shoe Tool Holder

Liangzhu Zhang

DOI: https://doi.org/10.64486/m.65.2.3
Online publication date: November 4, 2025

Abstract: As an important load-bearing structure of roller-skating shoes, the tool holder is mostly made of metal. 6061 aluminum alloy is widely used in the manufacture of roller-skating shoe tool holders because of its high strength, good formability, and strong corrosion resistance. To achieve higher strength after plastic forming, heat treatment, such as solution treatment and aging is usually required. In this study, 6061 solution-treated aluminum alloy was used as the research material. It was found that during the thermal aging process, the hardness of the alloy first in-creased to a peak value and then decreased to a stable value. At an aging temper-ature of 170 °C, the peak hardness reached 128.4 HV after 120 min. The average re-sidual stress release rate at three positions of the 6061 aluminum alloy was about 37 %. After 180 min, the hardness decreased again to its lowest value and tended to stabilize, while the average residual stress release rate increased to 50 %. The experimental results provide theoretical guidance for optimizing the processing of 6061 aluminum alloy in the manufacture of roller-skating shoe tool holders.

Keywords: roller skates; 6061 aluminum alloy; thermal aging; alloy hardness

This article is published online first and will appear in Metalurgija, Vol. 65, Issue 2 (2026).