Quench sensitivity and microstructures of high-Zn-content Al−Zn−Mg−Cu alloys with different Cu contents and Sc addition

The Zn,Cu,and Sc contents of 7xxx Al alloys were adjusted according to the chemical composition of a 7085 Al alloy,and the effects of Zn and Cu contents and Sc addition on the microstructures,hardness,and quench sensitivity of the 7xxx Al alloys were studied.The alloys with high Zn content and Sc addition exhibited higher hardness than the 7085 alloy at the position 3 mm away from the quenching end.The density ofηand T phases increased with the increase in Zn and Cu contents,and the Sc addition led to the formation of the Y phase and moreηphases at the position 120 mm away from the quenching end.Compared with the 7085 alloy,the high Zn−high Cu and Sc-added alloys exhibited higher quench sensitivity,while the simultaneous increase in Zn content and decrease in Cu content could enhance the hardness and reduce the quench sensitivity of the 7085 alloy.

Effects of Sc and Zr microalloying on the microstructure and mechanical properties of high Cu content 7xxx Al alloy

The effects of Sc and Zr microalloying on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a 7xxx Al alloy with high Cu content(7055)during casting,deformation,and heat treatment were investigated.The addition of Sc and Zr not only refined the grains but also transformed theθ-phase into the W-phase in the 7055 alloy.Minor Sc and Zr additions enhanced the hardness and yield strength of the 7055-T6 alloy by strengthening the grain boundaries and Al3(Sc,Zr)precipitates.However,a further increase in the Sc and Zr fractions did not refine the grains but instead resulted in the formation of the large-sized W-phase and primary coarse Al3(Sc,Zr)phase and subsequently deteriorated the mechanical properties of the alloys.The 7055 alloy with 0.25Sc addition exhibited the best mechanical property among the prepared alloys.

Preparation of high-strength Al-Mg-Si-Cu-Fe alloy via heat treatment and rolling

An Al-Mg-Si-Cu-Fe alloy was solid-solution treated at 560℃ for 3 h and then cooled by water quenching or furnace cooling. The alloy samples which underwent cooling by these two methods were rolled at different temperatures. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the rolled alloys were investigated by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and tensile testing. For the water-quenched alloys, the peak tensile strength and elongation occurred at a rolling temperature of 180℃. For the furnace-cooled alloys, the tensile strength decreased initially, until the rolling temperature of 420℃, and then increased;the elongation increased consistently with increasing rolling temperature. The effects of grain boundary hardening and dislocation hardening on the mechanical properties of these rolled alloys decreased with increases in rolling temperature. The mechanical properties of the 180℃ rolling water-quenched alloy were also improved by the presence ofβ″phase. Above 420℃, the effect of solid-solution hardening on the mechanical properties of the rolled alloys increased with increases in rolling temperature.

Mechanical and Damping Behavior of Age-Hardened and Non-age-hardened Al Alloys After Friction Stir Processing

This study investigated the microstructure,mechanical,and damping properties of a non-age-hardened Al alloy(5086)and an age-hardened Al alloy(7075)after friction stir processing(FSP).Microstructural analyses indicate that FSP led the grain refinement of samples,and the grains size decreased with the decrease in the tool rotation rate.Furthermore,FSP with low rotation rate promotes theηphase precipitation in the 7075 alloy,causing the micron-sized particles in the 5086 alloy to break up.After being subjected to FSP with low rotation rate,the 5086 and 7075 alloys exhibited excellent mechanical and damping properties.Such improved properties were ascribed to their equilibrium grain boundaries,fine grain,low density of dislocations,high fraction of high misorientation angle,and uniform particle distribution.

Mechanical properties and thermal stability of 7055 Al alloy by minor Sc addition

This study investigated the effect of 0.25 wt%Sc addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AA 7055 alloy.The addition of Sc obviously refined the grains of AA 7055 alloy during casting,homogenizing,rolling,solution,and aging treatments due to the formation of primary and precipitate Al3(Sc,Zr)phase.The recrystallization and precipitation of AA 7055 alloy were inhibited during heat treatments by Sc addition.The Sccontaining AA 7055 alloy exhibited higher thermal stability than AA 7055 alloy during homogenizing treatment,because of the grain boundary pinning effect of nano-sized Al3(Sc,Zr)particles.Given its structure characteristics such as fine grains,fineη′phase,and lessηphase,AA 7055 alloy with added Sc showed good mechanical properties after aging at 120℃for 24 h,with an ultimate tensile strength(UTS)of 679 MPa and elongation(EL)of 14%.This work provides an effective strategy to fabricate AlZn-Mg(-Cu)series(7 xxx)alloys with excellent mechanical properties.