## 1 Introduction  
Structural aluminum alloys have gained increasing relevance in various sectors, and the automotive industry is one of its leading promoters. These alloys have found extensive applications; firstly, high-end vehicles have embraced their use for chassis and doors, but nowadays, other manufacturers have incorporated structural parts. The main advantage of aluminum alloys is weight reduction; when vehicles become lighter, they reduce energy consumption and improve fuel efficiency. Consequently, this is translated into cost savings for vehicle owners and significantly decreases CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions, positively impacting the environment [1; 2; 3]. One of the most-used aluminum alloys is the 6 xxx series, a precipitation-hardening type. These alloys gain enhanced mechanical properties through heat treatment processes based on age hardening. 6 xxx alloys are characterized by a main \(\beta\) hardening phase primarily composed of Mg2 Si, dispersed within the aluminum matrix. Various studies have determined the precipitation sequence of the \(\beta\) hardening phase by conducting solutionizing and aging heat treatments [4; 5; 6; 7]. It is described as follows: supersaturated solid solution (SSSS) \(\rightarrow\) Si/Mg cluster \(\rightarrow\) Guinier-Preston (GP) zones \(\rightarrow\)\(\beta^{\prime\prime}\)\(\rightarrow\)\(\beta^{\prime}\)\(\rightarrow\)\(\beta\). The \(\beta\) phase is the primary mechanism for strengthening these alloys. [PERSON] et al. [8] worked with 6061 alloys, implementing heat treatments by varying the temperature and treatment duration to improve the formability of sheets and plates. In their experimentation, they employed two types of heat treatments. First, a solutionizing treatment was conducted at 530 \({}^{\circ}\)C for 1 h, followed by water quenching. Then, an annealing heat treatment was performed at 415 \({}^{\circ}\)C for 2 h, followed by furnace cooling (according to the authors, this process is intended to avoid fractures during mechanical forming). After conducting an artificial aging process at 120 \({}^{\circ}\)C for 6 h, they reported 354 MPa as the alloy's ultimate tensile strength (UTS). The authors confirmed that heat treatment influences grain size and precipitate distribution, thereby improving the tensile mechanical properties of the alloy. In another example, [PERSON] et al. [9] performed a solutionizing treatment on a MoS2-modified alloy at 520 \({}^{\circ}\)C for 1 h, followed by water quenching and aging at 180 \({}^{\circ}\)C for 12 h, obtaining a UTS = 246 MPa. These findings highlight the significance of carefully selecting heat treatment parameters to achieve the desired mechanical performance in aluminum alloys. Using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), [PERSON] et al. [10] investigated an alloy after a solutionizing treatment at 580 \({}^{\circ}\)C for 5 h and aging at 185 \({}^{\circ}\)C for 6 h. The SEM analysis revealed the presence of structures such as Al-Fe-Si and the primary hardening phase (Mg2 Si), previously identified by [PERSON] as the \(\beta\) phase [11]. Moreover, recent studies have determined that the precipitates in the 6 xxx alloys are (a) precipitates of Mg2 Si, identified in optical microscopy as small, dark particles with an angular or globular shape, depending on the stage of aging; (b) precipitates of AlFeSi, which usually appear as elongated particles or plates, exhibiting an acicular (needle-like) or lamellar shape, and are typically larger than Mg2 Si precipitates; and (c) precipitates of AlMnSi, which are usually thicker and less numerous, appearing as spherical or irregularly elongated particles, and are generally larger than Mg2 Si precipitates but smaller than AlFeSi precipitates [12; 13; 14]. The main \(\beta\) phase distributed within the aluminum matrix favors tensile mechanical strength, achieving up to 206 MPa of UTS, but decreases corrosion resistance.