Synergistic effect of gradient Zn content and multiscale particles on the mechanical properties of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys with coupling distribution of coarse-fine grains

This study investigated the influence of graded Zn content on the evolution of precipitated and iron-rich phases and grain struc-ture of the alloys,designed and developed the Al–8.0Zn–1.5Mg–1.5Cu–0.2Fe(wt%)alloy with high strength and formability.With the increase of Zn content,forming the coupling distribution of multiscale precipitates and iron-rich phases with a reasonable matching ratio and dispersion distribution characteristics is easy.This phenomenon induces the formation of cell-like structures with alternate distribu-tion of coarse and fine grains,and the average plasticity–strain ratio(characterizing the formability)of the pre-aged alloy with a high strength is up to 0.708.Results reveal the evolution and influence mechanisms of multiscale second-phase particles and the corresponding high formability mechanism of the alloys.The developed coupling control process exhibits considerable potential,revealing remarkable improvements in the room temperature formability of high-strength Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloys.

Effect of cold rolling deformation on microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of spray formed Al−Zn−Mg−Cu−Cr alloys

The impact of cold rolling deformation,which was introduced after solid solution and before aging treatment,on microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of the as-extruded spray formed Al−9.8Zn−2.3Mg−1.73Cu−0.13Cr(wt.%)alloy,was investigated.SEM,TEM,and EBSD were used to analyze the microstructures,and tensile tests were conducted to assess mechanical properties.The results indicate that the D1-T6 sample,subjected to 25%cold rolling deformation,exhibits finer grains(3.35μm)compared to the D0-T6 sample(grain size of 4.23μm)without cold rolling.Cold rolling refines the grains that grow in solution treatment.Due to the combined effects of finer and more dispersed precipitates,higher dislocation density and smaller grains,the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of the D1-T6 sample can reach 663 and 737 MPa,respectively.In comparison to the as-extruded and D0-T6 samples,the yield strength of the D1-T6 sample increases by 415 and 92 MPa,respectively.

Effects of minor Sc and Zr additions on mechanical properties and microstructure evolution of Al−Zn−Mg−Cu alloys

The effects of minor Sc and Zr additions on the mechanical properties and microstructure evolution of Al Zn Mg Cu alloys were studied using tensile tests, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The ultimate tensile strength of the peak-aged Al Zn Mg Cu alloy is improved by about 105 MPa with the addition of 0.10% Zr. An increase of about 133 MPa is observed with the joint addition of 0.07% Sc and 0.07% Zr. For the alloys modified with the minor addition of Sc and Zr (0.14%), the main strengthening mechanisms of minor addition of Sc and Zr are fine-grain strengthening, sub-structure strengthening and the Orowan strengthening mechanism produced by the Al3(Sc,Zr) and Al3Zr dispersoids. The volume of Al3Zr particles is less than that of Al3(Sc,Zr) particles, but the distribution of Al3(Sc,Zr) particles is more dispersed throughout the matrix leading to pinning the dislocations motion and restraining the recrystallization more effectively.

Effect of aging treatment on evolution of S'phase in rapid cold punched Al−Cu−Mg alloy

High-resolution transmission electron microscopy(TEM),X-ray diffractometer(XRD),and hardness test were used to study the evolution of long plate-shaped S'phase in the spray-formed fine-grained Al−Cu−Mg alloy during aging after rapid cold punching deformation.Results show that the long plate-shaped S'phase in the extruded Al−Cu−Mg alloy undergoes evident distortion,brittle failure,separation and redissolution,during rapid cold punching deformation,leading to the transformation of long plate-shaped S'phase into short rod or even redissolution and disappearance,causing the matrix to become a supersaturated solid solution.After the aging treatment,the reprecipitation of the phases occurs,and these aging phases are mainly long plate-shaped and granular.The incompletely dissolved S'phase acts as nucleation core,promoting uphill diffusion of the surrounding solute atoms.The S'phase gradually grows with increasing the aging time.The completely dissolved S'phase forms the incoherent equilibrium phase with the matrix to reduce its free energy.After rapid cold punching,the aging response of the deformed Al−Cu−Mg alloy is accelerated,and the hardness of the alloy is substantially increased.

Relationship between amounts of low-melting-point eutectics and hot tearing susceptibility of ternary Al−Cu−Mg alloys during solidification

A systematical study on the relationship between the amounts of different eutectic phases especially the low-melting-point(LMP)eutectics and the hot tearing susceptibility of ternary Al−Cu−Mg alloys during solidification was performed.By controlling the concentrations of major alloying elements(Cu,Mg),the amounts of LMP eutectics at the final stages of solidification were varied and the corresponding hot tearing susceptibility(HTS)was determined.The results showed that the Al−4.6Cu−0.4Mg(wt.%)alloy,which contained the smallest fraction of LMP eutectics among the investigated alloys,was observed to be the most susceptible to hot tearing.With the amount of total residual liquid being approximately the same in the alloys,the hot tearing resistance is considered to be closely related to the amounts of LMP eutectics.Specifically,the higher the amount of LMP eutectics was,the lower the HTS of the alloy was.Further,the potential mechanism of low HTS for alloys with high amounts of LMP eutectics among ternary Al−Cu−Mg alloys was discussed in terms of feeding ability and permeability as well as total viscosity evolution during solidification.

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.

Theoretical design and distribution control of precipitates and solute elements in Al−Zn−Mg−Cu alloys with heterostructure

In order to simultaneously improve strength and formability,an analytical model for the concentration distribution of precipitates and solute elements is established and used to theoretically design and control the heterogeneous microstructure of Al−Zn−Mg−Cu alloys.The results show that the dissolution of precipitates is mainly affected by particle size and heat treatment temperature,the heterogeneous distribution level of solute elements diffused in the alloy matrix mainly depends on the grain size,while the heat treatment temperature only has an obvious effect on the concentration distribution in the larger grains,and the experimental results of Al−Zn−Mg−Cu alloy are in good agreement with the theoretical model predictions of precipitates and solute element concentration distribution.Controlling the concentration distribution of precipitates and solute elements in Al−Zn−Mg−Cu alloys is the premise of accurately constructing heterogeneous microstructure in micro-domains,which can be used to significantly improve the formability of Al−Zn−Mg−Cu alloys with a heterostructure.

Effect of pre-straining on structure and formation mechanism of precipitates in Al−Mg−Si−Cu alloy

The effect of pre-straining on the structure and formation mechanism of precipitates in an Al−Mg−Si−Cu alloy was systematically investigated by atomic resolution high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy(HAADF-STEM).Elongated and string-like precipitates are formed along the dislocations in the pre-strained Al−Mg−Si−Cu alloy.The precipitates formed along the dislocations exhibit three features:non-periodic atomic arrangement within the precipitate;Cu segregation occurring at the precipitate/α(Al)interface;different orientations presented in one individual precipitate.Four different formation mechanisms of these heterogeneous precipitates were proposed as follows:elongated precipitates are formed independently in the dislocation;string-like precipitates are formed directly along the dislocations;different precipitates encounter to form string-like precipitates;precipitates are connected by other phases or solute enrichment regions.These different formation mechanisms are responsible for forming different atomic structures and morphologies of precipitates.

Relationship among solution heating rate,mechanical properties,microstructure and texture of Al−Mg−Si−Cu alloy

The relationship among heating rate, mechanical properties, microstructure and texture of Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloy during solution treatment was investigated through tensile test, scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffractometer and EBSD technology. The experimental results reveal that there is a non-monotonic relationship among solution heating rate, mechanical properties, microstructure and texture. As the solution heating rate increases, the strength variations are dependent on the tensile direction;work hardening exponent n decreases first, and then increases;plastic strain ratio r increases first, and then decreases, and finally increases. The final microstructure and texture are also affected by heating rate. As heating rate increases, the microstructure transforms from elongated grain structure to equiaxed grain structure, and the average grain size decreases first, and then increases, and decreases finally. Although the texture components including CubeND{001}<310> and P{011}<122> orientations almost have no change with the increase of heating rate, the texture intensity and volume fraction decrease first, and then increase, and finally decrease. Both microstructure and texture evolutions are weakly affected by heating rate. Improving heating rate is not always favorable for the development of fine equiaxed grain structure, weak texture and high average r value, which may be related to the recrystallization behavior.

Effect of rapid cold stamping on fracture behavior of long strip S′phase in Al−Cu−Mg alloy

High-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction techniques were used to study the mechanism that underlies the influence of rapid cold-stamping deformation on the fracture behavior of the elongated nanoprecipitated phase in extruded Al−Cu−Mg alloy.Results show that the interface between the long strip-shaped S′phase and the aluminum matrix in the extruded Al−Cu−Mg alloy is flat and breaks during rapid cold-stamping deformation.The breaking mechanisms are distortion and brittle failure,redissolution,and necking.The breakage of the long strip S′phase increases the contact surface between the S′phase and the aluminum matrix and improves the interfacial distortion energy.This effect accounts for the higher free energy of the S′phase than that of the matrix and creates conditions for the redissolution of solute atoms back into the aluminum matrix.The brittle S′phase produces a resolved step during rapid cold-stamping deformation.This step further accelerates the diffusion of solute atoms and promotes the redissolution of the S′phase.Thus,the S′phase necks and separates,and the long strip-shaped S′phase in the extruded Al−Cu−Mg alloy is broken into a short and thin S′phase.

Effect of non-isothermal aging on microstructure and properties of Al−5.87Zn−2.07Mg−2.42Cu alloys

The evolution of microstructure and properties of Al−5.87Zn−2.07Mg−2.42Cu alloys during non-isothermal aging was studied.The mechanical properties of the alloy were tested by stretching at room temperature.The results show that in the non-isothermal aging process,when the alloy is cooled to 140℃,the ultimate tensile strength of the alloy reaches a maximum value of 582 MPa and the elongation is 11.9%.The microstructure was tested through a transmission electron microscope,and the experimental results show that the GP zones andη'phases are the main strengthening precipitates.At the cooling stage,when the temperature dropped to 180℃,the GP zones were precipitated again.Besides,the experimental results show that the main strengthening phase during non-isothermal aging isη'phases.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of squeeze-cast Al−5.0Mg−3.0Zn−1.0Cu alloys in solution-treated and aged conditions

The microstructure and mechanical properties at different depths of squeeze-cast,solution-treated and aged Al−5.0Mg−3.0Zn−1.0Cu alloy were investigated.For squeeze-cast alloy,from casting surface to interior,the grain size ofα(Al)matrix and width of T-Mg32(AlZnCu)49 phase increase significantly,while the volume fraction of T phase decreases.The related mechanical properties including ultimate tensile strength(UTS)and elongation decrease from 243.7 MPa and 2.3%to 217.9 MPa and 1.4%,respectively.After solution treatment at 470℃ for 36 h,T phase is dissolved into matrix,and the grain size increases so that the UTS and elongation from surface to interior are respectively reduced from 387.8 MPa and 18.6%to 348.9 MPa and 13.9%.After further peak-aging at 120℃ for 24 h,numerous G.P.II zone andη′phase precipitate in matrix.Consequently,UTS values of the surface and interior increase to 449.5 and 421.4 MPa,while elongation values decrease to 12.5%and 8.1%,respectively.

Tailoring phase fractions of T'and η' phases in dual-phase strengthened Al−Zn−Mg−Cu alloy via ageing treatment

Hardness tests and transmission electron microscopy were used to investigate the strategy of tailoring the phase fraction of precipitates in an Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy strengthened by T’ and η’ phases. Different phase fractions of T’ and η’ phases are presented in samples subjected to either single or two stages of ageing treatments at 120 and 150 ℃.For both types of ageing, the precipitation of η’ phase is found to be promoted by ageing at lower temperature and its phase fraction increases with prolonging ageing time at 120 ℃;whereas the phase fractions of T’ and η’ phases almost remain constant during ageing at 150 ℃. Besides, the strain fields produced by T’ and η’ phases were analyzed by using the geometric phase analysis technique, and on a macroscale the contributions of T’ and η’ phases to precipitation strengthening have been quantitatively predicted by combining the size, phase fraction and number density of precipitates.

Influence of Si Contents on the Microstructure Evolution and Mechanical Properties of Al-Mg-Si-Cu-Zn Alloys

The influence of different Si contents on the microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of Al⁃Mg⁃Si⁃Cu⁃Zn alloys was systematically studied using tensile testing,OM,SEM,EDS,and EBSD.The results indicate that the grain size of as⁃cast alloys was gradually reduced with the increase of the Si content,which mainly resulted from the formation of many iron⁃rich phases and precipitates during the casting process.During homogenization treatment,the plate⁃likeβ⁃AlFeSi phases in the alloy with a higher Si content easily transformed to the sphericalα⁃Al(FeMn)Si phases,which is helpful for improving the formability of alloys.The microstructure evolution of the alloys was also greatly dependent on the content of Si that the number density and homogeneous distribution level of precipitates in the final cold rolled alloys both increased with the increase of the Si content,which further provided a positive effect on the formation of fine recrystallization grains during the subsequent solution treatment.As a result,the yield strength,ultimate tensile strength,and elongation of the pre⁃aged alloys in the direction of 45°with respect to the rolling direction were all increased with increasing Si content.

Effect of Cu addition on overaging behaviour,room and high temperature tensile and fatigue properties of A357 alloy

The aims of the present work are to evaluate the overaging behaviour of the investigated Cu-enriched alloy and to assess its mechanical behaviour,in terms of the tensile and fatigue strength,at room temperature and at 200℃,and to correlate the mechanical performance with its microstructure,in particular with the secondary dendrite arm spacing(SDAS).The mechanical tests carried out on the overaged alloy at 200℃ indicate that the addition of about 1.3 wt.%Cu to the A357 alloy enables to maintain ultimate tensile strength and yield strength values close to 210 and 200 MPa,respectively,and fatigue strength at about 100 MPa.Compared to the quaternary(Al−Si−Cu−Mg)alloy C355,the A357−Cu alloy has greater mechanical properties at room temperature and comparable mechanical behaviour in the overaged condition at 200℃.The microstructural analyses highlight that SDAS affects the mechanical behaviour of the peak-aged A357−Cu alloy at room temperature,while its influence is negligible on the tensile and fatigue properties of the overaged alloy at 200℃.

Improvement of microstructure and mechanical properties of Al−Cu−Li−Mg−Zn alloys through water-cooling centrifugal casting technique

The microstructure and mechanical properties of as-cast Al−Cu−Li−Mg−Zn alloys fabricated by conventional gravity casting and centrifugal casting techniques combined with rapid solidification were investigated.Experimental results demonstrated that compared with the gravity casting technique,the water-cooling centrifugal casting technique significantly reduces porosity,refinesα(Al)grains and secondary phases,modifies the morphology of secondary phases,and mitigates both macro-and micro-segregation.These improvements arise from the synergistic effects of the vigorous backflow,centrifugal field,vibration and rapid solidification.Porosity and coarse plate-like Al13Fe4/Al7Cu2Fe phase result in the fracture before the gravity-cast alloy reaches the yield point.The centrifugal-cast alloy,however,exhibits an ultra-high yield strength of 292.0 MPa and a moderate elongation of 6.1%.This high yield strength is attributed to solid solution strengthening(SSS)of 225.3 MPa,and grain boundary strengthening(GBS)of 35.7 MPa.Li contributes the most to SSS with a scaling factor of 7.9 MPa·wt.%^(-1).The elongation of the centrifugal-cast alloy can be effectively enhanced by reducing the porosity and segregation behavior,refining the microstructure and changing the morphology of secondary phases.

Fatigue strength and microstructure evaluation of Al 7050 alloy wires recycled by spray forming,extrusion and rotary swaging

Recycled high-strength aluminum alloys have limited use as structural materials due to poor mechanical properties. Spray forming remelting followed by hot extrusion is a promising route for reprocessing 7 xxx alloys. The 7050 alloy machining chips were spray formed, hot extruded, rotary swaged and heat-treated in order to improve mechanical properties. Microstructures, tensile properties and fatigue strength results for a 2.7 mm-diameter recycled wire are presented. Secondary phases and precipitates were investigated by XRD, SEM, EBSD, TEM and DSC. As-swaged and heat-treated(solution and aging) conditions were evaluated. Mechanical properties of both conditions outperformed AA7050 aerospace specification. Substantial grain refinement resulted from the extensive plastic deformation imposed by rotary swaging. Refined micrometric and sub-micrometric Al grains, as well as coarse and fine intermetallic precipitates were observed. Subsequent solution treatment resulted in a homogeneous, recrystallized and equiaxed microstructure with grain size of 9 μm. Nanoscale GP(I) zones and η′ phase precipitates formed after aging at 120 ℃, imparting higher tensile(586 MPa) and fatigue(198 MPa) strengths.

Creep aging behavior of retrogression and re-aged 7150 aluminum alloy

Creep aging behavior of retrogression and re-aged(RRAed)7150 aluminum alloy(AA7150)was systematically investigated using the creep aging experiments,mechanical properties tests,electrical conductivity tests and transmission electron microscope(TEM)observations.Creep aging results show that the steady-state creep mechanism of RRAed alloys is mainly dislocation climb(stress exponent≈5.8),which is insensitive to the grain interior and boundary precipitates.However,the total creep deformation increases over the re-aging time.In addition,the yield strength and tensile strength of the four RRAed samples are essentially the same after creep aging at 140℃ for 16 h,but the elongation decreases slightly with the re-aging time.What’s more,the retrogression and re-aging treatment are beneficial to increase the hardness and electrical conductivity of the creep-aged 7150 aluminum alloy.It can be concluded that the retrogression and re-aging treatment before creep aging forming process can improve the microstructure within grain and at grain boundary,forming efficiency and comprehensive performance of mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of 7150 aluminum alloy.

Cu/Li Ratio on the Microstructure Evolution and Corrosion Behaviors of Al–xCu–yLi–Mg Alloys

The microstructure evolution and the corrosion feature of Al–x Cu– y Li–Mg alloys( x : y = 0.44, 1.65 and 4.2) were systematically investigated under the same artificial aging conditions. The relationships between types of precipitates and mechanical performance, as well as electrochemical behaviors, were discussed. Our results show that different types of precipitates can be obtained in alloys with different Cu/Li mass ratios, which significantly influences the mechanical performance of the alloys and substantial corrosion behaviors. Specifically, the analogous corrosion evolution in the aging Al– x Cu– y Li–Mg alloys was first ascertained to be derived from the growth mechanism of the precipitates at the grain boundary(GB). Moreover, a small number of GB precipitates can be obtained in the aged alloy with the lowest Cu/Li mass ratio, thereby resulting in the largest intergranular corrosion resistance. A higher proportion of the GB T1 phase in the continuous precipitates induces higher corrosion sensitivity in alloy with a high Cu/Li mass ratio.

Microstructural evolution,dislocation density and tensile properties of Al–6.5Si–2.1Cu–0.35Mg alloy produced by different casting processes

Al–Si–Cu–Mg foundry alloys are used in casting process technologies.However,their strength properties remain low due to their microstructural characteristics and porosity.In this work,the microstructural characteristics,dislocation densities,and mechanical properties of Al–Si–Cu–Mg cast alloys prepared through different casting methods were studied experimentally.Four casting processes,namely,gravity casting(GC),rheocasting(RC),thixoforming(Thixo),and Thixo with heat treatment,were used.The GC and RC samples had mainly dendriticα-Al phase microstructures and exhibited coarse Si particles and intermetallic compounds in their interdendritic regions.By contrast,the Thixo and heat-treated Thixo(HT-Thixo)samples exhibited microstructural refinement with uniformly distributedα-Al globules,fine fibrous Si particles,and fragmented intermetallic compounds amongα-Al globules.The accumulation of dislocation densities increased in the Thixo sample as the strain was increased due to plastic deformation.Furthermore,the ultimate tensile strength and yield strength of the HT-Thixo sample increased by 87%and 63%,respectively,relative to those of the GC sample.The cleavage fracture displayed by the GC and RC samples led to brittle failure.Meanwhile,the Thixo and HT-Thixo samples presented dimple-based ductile fracture.