Microstructure and properties of Cu-Ni-Si-Zr alloy after thermomechanical treatments

The effect of thermomechanical treatments on the microstructures and properties of Cu-2.1Ni-0.5Si- 0.2Zr alloy was investigated. The hot-rolled plates were solution treated at 920 ℃ for 1.5 h, quenched into water, cold rolled by 70 % reduction in thickness, and then aged at 400, 450 and 500 ℃for various times. The variation in tensile strength and electrical conductivity of the alloy was measured as a function of the aging time. The results show the peak strength value of 665 MPa for the alloy aged at 450 ℃ for 2 h. However, the electrical conductivity is observed to reach a maximum of 47 % IACS aged at 450℃for 8 h. OM, SEM, and TEM were used for microstructural inspection of the alloy. Precipitation occurs preferentially at deformation bands in the cold-rolled alloy. Properties behavior is discussed in the light of microstructural features.

Precipitation process and its effects on properties of aging Cu–Ni–Be alloy

The precipitation process of aged Cu-Ni-Be alloy was investigated by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, trans- mission electron microscopy （TEM）, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM）. The tensile strength, yield strength, and electronic conductivity of this alloy after aging were also studied. The precipitation sequence of the C17510 alloy aged at 525 ℃ is supersat-urated solid solution→G.P zones→ γ″-γ′→ γ. This transformation can be achieved by the accumulation of Be-atom layers. The G.P zones are composed of disk-shaped monolayers of Be atoms, which are formed on （001） matrix planes. The intermediate γ″ precipitate is nucleated in the G.P zones. The γ″ and γ′ precipitates have the same orientation relationship with matrix, e.g., （110）p｜｜（100）M,[001]p｜｜[001]M. The tensile strength of specimen shows a maximum during the aging process and then continuously decreases if the specimen is over aged. The strengthening effect of γ′ phase precipitated in aging at 525 ℃ for 4 h is calculated to be 436 MPa according to the Orowan strengthening, which is quite consistent with the experimental data.

Microstructural characterization of as-cast and homogenized 2D70 aluminum alloy

The microstructure of the as-cast 2D70 aluminum alloy and its evolution during homogenization were investigated by means of optical microscopy （OM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy dispersive spectroscopy （EDS）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, and differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） analysis. The results indicate that the microstructure of the as-cast 2D70 aluminum alloy mainly consists of the dendritic network of aluminum solid solution and intermetallic compounds （Al2CuMg, Al2Cu, Al9FeNi, Cu2FeAl7, and Al7Cu4Ni）. After conventional homogenization, Al/Al2CuMg eutectic phases are dissolved into the matrix, and a small amount of high melting-point eutectic Al/Al2Cu phases exist in the matrix, resulting in an increase in the starting melting temperature. Under double homogenization, the high melting point Al/Al2Cu phases are dissolved, and no obvious change is observed for the size and morphology of Al9FeNi, Cu2FeAl7, and Al7CuaNi compounds.

Hot deformation behavior and globularization mechanism of Ti-6Al-4V-0.1B alloy with lamellar microstructure

Hot deformation behavior and globularization mechanism of Ti6A14V0.1B alloy with lamellar micro structure were quantitatively studied through isothermal compression tests with the temperature range of 850950 ℃and strain rate range of 0.011.00 s1. The results show that the peak flow stress and steady stress are sensitive to the strain rate and temperature. The value of deformation activation energy is 890.49 kJmo11 in （a＋β） region. Dynamic recrystallization is the major deformation mecha nism. Flow softening is dominated by dynamic recrystallization at 850950 ℃. TiB particles promote the recrystallization of laths. Globularization processes consist of four steps： for mation of subgrain after dynamic recovery in a plates; subgrain boundary migration caused by interracial instability; interfacial migration promoting phase wedge into a phase; disintegrating of a laths by diffusion processes; and grain boundary sliding. Globularization mechanisms during hot deformation processes of the Ti6A14V0.1B alloy with lamellar structure are continuous dynamic recrystallization.

Microstructure and properties of Cu-2.8Ni-0.6Si alloy

The phase transformation behavior and heat treatment response of Cu-2.8Ni-0.6Si （wt%） alloy sub- jected to different heat treatments were studied by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy observation, and measurement of hardness and electrical conductivity. The variation of hardness and electrical conductivity of the alloy was measured as a function of aging time. On aging at the temperature below TR （500-550 ℃） in Cu-2.8Ni-0.6Si alloy, the transformation undergoes spinodal decomposi- tion, DO22 ordering, and δ-NiaSi phase. On aging at the temperature above TR （500-550 ℃）, the transformation products were precipitations of 8-Ni2Si. The free energy versus composition curves were employed to explain the microstructure observations.

Changes of microstructure of different quench sensitivity 7,000 aluminum alloy after end quenching

The quench sensitivity and their influential factors of 7,021, 7,085, and 7,050 alloys were investigated by the end quenching test method and the measurement of electrical conductivity, hardness, and microstructure after aging. The results indicate that 7,050 alloy has the largest changes with hardness decreasing from HV 199 to HV 167,and electrical conductivity increases from 16.6 to18.2 MS m-1when the distance from quenched end increases from 2 to 100 mm. Alloys 7,085 and 7,021 have relatively smaller changes. According to the relationship between the hardness and electrical conductivity of a supersaturated solid solution, 7,050 alloy has higher quench sensitivity than 7,085 and 7,021 alloys. The microstructure of 7,050 alloy with higher major alloy element（Zn ？ Mg ？ Cu） addition and Cu element addition is mostly affected by the changes of distance from quenched end. In 7,050 alloy, the size of intragranular precipitates is from about 10-200 nm, and the（sub） grain boundary precipitates are about 20-300 nm. Alloy 7,085 with lower Cu content is moderately affected, while 7,021 is least affected. It is found that with the increase of distance from quenched end, quenched-induced precipitate preferentially nucleates and grows in the（sub） grain boundary and then on the pre-existing Al3 Zr particles.

As-cast microstructure of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr alloy containing trace amount of Sc

It has been reported that the element scandium (Sc) is the most effective modificator which can significantly refine the grain size,prohibit recrystallization process and increase the strength.Adding trace of Sc in 7000 series aluminum alloys is considered to be an effective way to modify its microstructure and promote mechanical properties.In order to study the effect of Sc element on ascast microstructure of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr alloy,ingots containing different amounts of Sc were prepared by ferrous-mold cast.Microstructures were characterized by means of differential scanning calorimeter (DSC),X-ray diffraction (XRD),optical microscope (OM) and scanning electrical microscope (SEM).The results indicate that when the Sc level exceeds a critical concentration,A13(Sc,Zr) primary phase would form in the melt and act as an efficient nucleant,resulting in very refined grain and an equiaxed grain structure.Sc element reduces the number of eutectic phases formed during solidification,coupled with an increase in the concentration of major alloying elements retained in the solute.This behavior suggests possible benefits in improving the integrated properties of terminal products.

Microstructure of as-extruded 7136 aluminum alloy and its evolution during solution treatment

With the aid of scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy-dispersive spectroscopy （EDS）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） analysis and electron backscatter diffraction （EBSD）, the microstructure of the alloy in as-extruded state and various solution-treated states was investigated. The results indi- cate that second phase of the as-extruded 7136 aluminum alloy mainly consists of Mg（Zn, Cu, Al）2 and Fe-rich phases. The Mg（Zn, Cu, Al）2 phase directly dissolves into the matrix during solution treatment with various solution temperatures. After solution treated at 475℃ for 1 h, Mg（Zn, Cu, Al）2 phases are dissolved into the matrix, while Fe-rich phases still exist. Fe-rich phases could not dissolve into the matrix by prolonging solution time. The mechanical property test and EBSD observation show that two-stage solution treatment makes no significant improvement in mechanical properties and recrystallization of the alloy. The optimized solution treatment parameter is chosen as 475 ℃/1 h.

Transformation and dissolution of second phases during solution treatment of an Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy containing high zinc

The transformation and dissolution of Mg（Zn, Cu, Al）2 phase during solution treatment of an Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy containing high zinc were investigated by means of optical microscopy （OM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry （EDX） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. The results show that solution temperature is the main factor influencing phase dissolution. With solution temperature increasing, the content of residual phases decreases. Phase transformation from Mg（Zn, Cu, Al）2 to S（Al2CuMg） occurs under solution temperature of 450, 460 and 465 ℃. Mg（Zn, Cu, Al）2 phase is directly dissolved into the matrix under solution temperature of 470 and 475 ℃, and no S（Al2CuMg） phase transformed from Mg（Zn, Cu, Al）2 phase is observed. The formation of S（Al2CuMg） phase is mainly controlled by Zn elemental diffusion. The mechanism of transformation and dissolution of second phases was investigated. At low temperature, the dissolution of Zn is faster than that of Mg and Cu, resulting in an appropriate condition to form S（Al2CuMg） phase. At high temperature, the dissolution of main alloying elements has no significant barrier among them to form S（Al2CuMg） phase.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of 7A56 aluminum alloy after solution treatment

The effect of solution treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a novel 7 A56 aluminum alloy plate was investigated by optical microscopy(OM),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),transmission electron microscopy(TEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),differential scanning calorimetry(DSC),conductivity,hardness and tensile tests.The results indicate that the coarse second phases in the hot-rolled plate mainly consist of AlZnMgCu quaternary phase and Al_(7) Cu_(2) Fe phase,and no Al_(2) CuMg phase is found.The amount of the second phases gradually reduces with the increase in temperature(450-480℃)and time(1-8 h)during the solution treatment,and the soluble particles are completely dissolved into the matrix after solution treatment at 470℃for 4 h,while the residual phases are mainly Fe-rich phase along the grain boundaries.The recrystallization fraction of the alloy gradually increases with the degree of solution treatment deepened.When the temperature exceeds480℃,over-burning takes place.The mechanical properties of samples treated at 470℃for various times were tested.After the solution treated at 470℃for 4 h,the quenching conductivity and peak-aged hardness of the alloy are 30.8%IACS and HV 204,respectively.The ultimate tensile strength and yield strength of the samples aged at 120℃for 24 h are 661 and 588 MPa,respectively.

Fracture mechanism of a laminated aluminum alloy plate during ballistic impact

The multilayered 7XXX series aluminum alloy was impacted by 7.62 mm ogival projectiles at velocities ranging from 787 to 851m·s^（-1）. The deformed microstructure under various impacting velocities and fracture surfaces of different sections were investigated at different physical scales to determine the process of failure.Optical microscopy（OM）,electron back-scattered diffraction（EBSD） and scanning electron microscopy（SEM） were used in the investigation. The results show that crater is constrained in the 7B52 front layer and two types of adiabatic shear bands which are transformed bands and deformed bands and different types of cracks are observed.Spall fracture is the significant failure mode of 7B52 front layer, and the resulting delamination leads to the presence of bending tensile fracture instead of the shear plugging.The ductile 7A01 layer blunts and deflects the spall crack tips, preventing the targets from full spall, and induces a constraint of 7A52 rear layer. The level of the constraint determines different fracture modes of 7A52 layer,accounting for the asymmetry of damage.

Mechanical properties,microstructure and surface quality of Al-1.2Mg-0.6Si-0.2Cu alloy after solution heat treatment

The effect of solution heat treatment （SHT） on mechanical properties, microstructure and surface quality of Al-1.2Mg-0.6Si-0.2Cu-0.6Zn alloy was investigated by tensile test, Erichsen test, surface topography, scanning electron microscope （SEM） and electron back-scattered diffraction （EBSD）. The results indicate that with the increase in SHT temperature, yield strength and cupping test value （IE） of the sheets increase greatly and reach a peak value, then decrease. Meanwhile, intermetallic com- pounds dissolve into matrix gradually. The grains grow up as SHT temperature increases, and abnormal grain growth leads to the surface defects after solution-treated above 560 ~C. Considering mechanical properties, IE value, residual phases, grain size and surface quality of the sheets, SHT temperature for the alloy should not be higher than 550 ℃.

Quenching residual stress distributions in aluminum alloy plates with different dimensions

Finite element method(FEM) simulations were employed to investigate the quenching residual stress distributions of 7085 aluminum alloy plates.The effect of dimensional variation on the quenching residual stress distributions was studied and discussed by using models with different dimensions(length,width,and thickness).The accuracy and efficiency of the models were verified by other numerical examples.The order of the dimension effects on the quenching residual stress distributions is:thickness> width=length.The maximum tensile stress and compressive stress increase from 33 to 190 and 39 to 270 MPa,respectively,as the thickness increases from 30 to 150 mm.The ultimate maximum tensile stress(about190 MPa) is equivalent to half of the quenching yield strength at 20℃,while the ultimate maximum compressive stress(about 300 MPa) is equivalent to 80 % of the quenching yield strength at 20℃.There are stress fluctuations at the edge of the large plate both in rolling and in transverse directions.The ratio of the fluctuation region along the rolling direction and transverse direction increases as the thickness increases,while it decreases as the length or width increases.The actual length of the fluctuation region is almost a constant value for the plates with a thickness of 115 mm(about 500 mm in length and 300 mm in width).

Deep drawing of 6A16 aluminum alloy for automobile body with various blank-holder forces

Based on the ABAQUS/explicit finite element method,the deep drawing of 6A16 alloy pre-aged and then storaged at room temperature for 1 week with various blank-holder forces(10,14,18 kN) was studied.The distribution and variation of stress and strain in deformation zones were investigated to drive the forming property and process of the alloy.Besides,the simulation result was verified combined with the deep drawing experiments.The results show that the stress and strain of the deformation zone have an incremental trend with the blank-holder force increasing while the deformation degree and grain size within a certain deformation zone have an obvious increase and an enlargement,respectively.After the deep drawing,the hardness of products also increases with the enhancement of blank-holder force.The blank-holder force of 18 kN is certified as the preferential one by the analysis of microstructure and simulation results.

Quench sensitivity of novel Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys containing different Cu contents

The effect of copper content on quench sensitivity in novel Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys containing high zinc content was investigated by Jominy end quench test.Electrical conductivity and hardness test,temperature collecting,and transmission electron microscopy(TEM)technique were adopted for the properties and microstructure characterization of three alloys with different copper contents.The results indicate that the electrical conductivity of all three alloys increases with the increase of distance from the quenched end,while the hardness shows an opposite trend.If the dropping of 10%hardness is defined as the critical evaluation standard of quenching,the depth of quenched layer of AlloysⅠ,Ⅱ,andⅢare 70,55,and 40 mm,respectively.The precipitation behavior on grain boundaries of three alloys is similar except for a little difference in size,while the size of precipitates in grains of AlloyⅢwith higher copper content is larger than those of the other two alloys at the same location.Considering all results,the stability of the supersaturated solid solution of AlloyⅢis lower than those of the other two alloys,meaning that AlloyⅢshows the highest quench sensitivity.Higher copper content leads to higher quench sensitivity in novel Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys with the same content of magnesium,zinc,and other trace elements.

Microstructure of phases in a Cu–Zr alloy

The morphology and crystallography of phases in the Cu-0.12% Zr alloy were investigated by scanning electron microscope(SEM), transmission electron microscope(TEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscope(HRTEM). The results show that the as-cast microstructure of Cu–Zr alloy is mainly Cu matrix and eutectic structure which consist of Cu and Cu5Zr phases with a fine lamellar structure. The disk-shaped and plateliked Cu5Zr phases with fcc structure are found in the matrix, in which habit plane is parallel to {111}a plane of the matrix.Between the copper matrix and Cu5Zr phase,there exists an orientation relationship of [112]a|| [011]Cu5Zr;(111)a||(111)Cu5Zr. The space structure model of Cu5Zr phase can be established.

Aging precipitation characteristics and tensile properties of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys with different additional Zn contents

The increase in zinc content in Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys provides an effective method to enhance the strength.Transmission electron microscopy(TEM)and tensile test were employed to analyze the microstructure and tensile properties,respectively,of Al-9.3 Zn-2.0 Mg-1.8 Cu alloy(9.3 Zn alloy)and Al-9.8 Zn-2.0 Mg-1.8 Cu alloy(9.8 Zn alloy)with single-and double-stage aging states.The results showed that the two alloys possessed a closed strength under single-stage peak-aging treatment.As for double-stage aging treatment,9.8 Zn alloy had a higher strength values than 9.3 Zn alloy under the same aging regimes.With the second step aging time prolonging,the strength gap was extended.The main precipitates for the two alloys with single-stage peak-aging state were GP zones andη’phase,while there were a majority ofη’phases andηphases for the two alloys under typical double-stage over-aging state.Under double-stage overaging state,the proportion of precipitate with large size for9.3 Zn alloy was larger than that for 9.8 Zn alloy.Besides,a more obvious trend was revealed for the double-stage overaging state.The gap of strength between the two alloys was explained by the difference of precipitation characteristics via interaction mechanism between precipitates and dislocations.

Processing maps and microstructural evolution of Al-Cu-Li alloy during hot deformation

The hot deformation behavior of Al-Cu-Li alloy was investigated by hot compression tests in the temperature range of 340-500℃ with strain rate of 0.001-10.000 s^(-1).Based on the dynamic materials model(DMM),processing maps of the test alloy were developed for optimizing hot processing parameters.The optimum parameters of hot deformation for Al-Cu-Li alloy are at temperature of 400-430℃and strain rate of about 0.100 s^(-1),with efficiency of power dissipation of around 30%.The microstructural manifestation of the alloy deformed in instability domains is flow localization,and dynamic softening first occurs in flow localizations structure.In stable domains,dynamic recovery(DRV) and dynamic recrystallization(DRX) are the main microstructural evolution mechanism.DRX is gradually strengthened with the increase in deformation temperature and the decrease in strain rate.During hot deformation,the DRX mechanism of Al-Cu-Li alloy is dominated by continuous DRX(CDRX).A DRX model of Al-Cu-Li alloy is proposed based on the microstructural evolution process of the test alloy.

Phases and microstructures of high Zn-containing Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloys

Phases and microstructures of three high Zncontaining Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloys were investigated by means of thermodynamic calculation method, optica microscopy（OM）, scanning electron microscopy（SEM）energy dispersive spectroscopy（EDS）, X-ray diffraction（XRD）, and differential scanning calorimetry（DSC） analysis. The results indicate that similar dendritic network morphologies are found in these three Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloys. The as-cast 7056 aluminum alloy consists of aluminum solid solution, coarse Al/Mg（Cu, Zn, Al）2 eutectic phases, and fine intermetallic compounds g（MgZn2）. Both of as-cast 7095 and 7136 aluminum alloys involve a（Al）eutectic Al/Mg（Cu, Zn, Al）2, intermetallic g（MgZn2）, and h（Al2Cu）. During homogenization at 450 ℃, fine g（MgZn2） can dissolve into matrix absolutely. After homogenization at 450 ℃ for 24 h, Mg（Cu, Zn, Al）2 phase in 7136 alloy transforms into S（Al2Cu Mg） while no change is found in 7056 and 7095 alloys. The thermodynamic calculation can be used to predict the phases in high Zncontaining Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloys.

Microstructure and surface of 2A12 aluminum alloy cladded with pure aluminum after solution treatment

The effects of solution temperature and holding time on the microstructure, mechanical properties and surface morphology of 2 A12 aluminum alloy sheets were discussed in this paper. The universal tensile tester was used to test the tensile strength and yield strength of aluminum alloy sheets with different treatment systems. The surface morphology of the alloy sheets was characterized by a white light interference profile scanner, and the microstructure of the sheets was characterized by optical microscope(OM), scanning electron microscope(SEM)and electron backscattered diffraction(EBSD). The results showed that the mechanical properties of the sheets could not satisfy GBT228.1-2010 national standard when the holding time was 10 min and the holding temperature was475 ℃. However, under the other heat treatment systems,the alloy could reach the GBT228.1-2010 national standard. Moreover, with the extension of the holding time, the part of the matrix gradually diffused into the aluminumclad layer. When the holding time was shorter than 25 min,the boundary between the matrix and the aluminum-clad layer was relatively obvious. And the diffusion gradually became obvious when the holding time was over 25 min.Thereby, the boundary became blurry. The further investigation suggested that the solution temperature of495 ℃ and the holding time of 35 min showed better mechanical properties and better surface morphology.