Ageing Effect on Hardness and Microstructure of Al-Zn-Mg Alloys

Experimental results of the investigation on the hardness of two Al-Zn-Mg alloys [Al-10.0 Zn-4.0 Mg and Al-8.5 Zn-3.0 Mg (wt pct)] aged in the temperature range 60～310℃ for different intervals of time from 1/4 h to 168 h are presented. Both the alloys were found to show identical behaviour of hardness with ageing time. Alloy with higher Zn and Mg content had higher hardness than the alloy with lower solute content. There were three ranges of temperature in which different types of precipitates formed and affected the hardness. Some of the grain boundaries were found to migrate and precipitate free zone has been observed.

Fracture Toughness of Cast Al-Zn-Mg Alloys

Compact tension specimens of as-cast Al-3Zn-2Mg and Al-7Zn-2Mg (in wt pct) alloys were subjected to fracture toughness tests at room temperature according to specification5 laid down in ASTM E-399-81. It was found that increasing the Zn content, grain refinement and increasing the solidification rate lead to an increase in the fracture toughness of the material.

Solidification path calculations of Al-Zn-Mg alloys in Al-rich corner

The solidification paths of Al-Zn-Mg alloys in the Al-rich corner were investigated. The thermodynamic data for the calculation are obtained by direct coupling with the CALPHAD software Thermo-Calc via its TQ6-interface and the COST2 database. The influences of the initial compositions and the extent of solid back diffusion on the solidification path were numerically investigated by sample calculation of the ternary Al-Zn-Mg alloys. The calculation results of solidification paths of the selected alloys: Al-Zn-3 Mg(in wt.%), Al-5 Zn-10 Mg, Al-2.5Zn-15Mg, Al-10Zn-20.5 Mg, Al-8Zn-25 Mg, were: L→(L+α-Al), L→(L+α-Al)→(L+α-Al+TAU), L→(L+α-Al)→(L+α-Al+Al Mg_β), L→(L+α-Al)→(L+α-Al+TAU)→(L+α-Al+TAU+Al Mg_β), L→(L+α-Al)→(L+α-Al+Al Mg_β)→(L+α-Al+TAU+Al Mg_β), respectively. The results show that the initial compositions and the extent of solid back diffusion have a great influence on solidification path, and the amounts of eutectic phase increase with the decrease of the solid back diffusion coefficient. The equilibrium solute partition coefficients for Zn and Mg in alloys are also calculated and their influence on micro-segregation in the primary solidification of Al-5Zn-10 Mg alloy is analyzed.

Effect of cooling rate and composition on microstructures and properties of Zn-Mg alloys

The Zn-Mg alloys with Mg additions of 35%,40% and 45%(mass fraction) were prepared by conventional casting method,with the aim to develop new biodegradable materials. The effects of cooling rate and composition on the microstructures,hardness and corrosion resistance were studied by XRD,SEM,microhardness and corrosion testing techniques. The corrosion behaviors of experimental alloys in simulated body fluids were analyzed. The results show that the amount of the petal-like MgZn2 phase decreases,as well as the hardness of the alloys,but that of the polygonal MgZn2 phase increases with the increase of Mg content when the cooling rate is constant. When the alloy composition is constant,the MgZn2 phase changes easily from petal-like to polygon,and the hardness decreases with the decrease of the cooling rate.

Effect of high-temperature pre-precipitation on mechanical properties and stress corrosion cracking of Al-Zn-Mg alloys

In order to improve the stress corrosion cracking resistance of the weldable Al Zn Mg alloys with medium strength, the near solvus pre precipitation following high temperature solution treatment was performed on LC52 and 7039 aluminum alloys. The effect of the pre precipitation on the microstructure, age hardening and stress corrosion cracking of LC52 and 7039 alloy was investigated. The results show that the near solvus pre precipitation can be limited on grain boundary and can enhance the discontinuity of grain boundary precipitates. The stress corrosion cracking resistance of aged Al Zn Mg alloys can be improved with non deteriorated strength and plasticity via pre precipitation.

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.

Effects of deformation twinning on the mechanical properties of biodegradable Zn-Mg alloys

To satisfy the property requirements for biodegradable medical implants,Zn alloyed with low levels of Mg(≤0.8 wt%)has attracted increased research interest.In the present study,deformation twinning was observed in tensile tests and twinning appears to have an adverse impact on ductility.The profuse twinning in the as-cast Zn-Mg alloys accelerated crack growth in tension due to twinning impingement which caused local stress concentrations and initiates cracking.As-rolled Zn-Mg alloys have better ductility than their as-cast counterparts due to the inhibition of twinning by the refined Mg2Zn11 intermetallic phase and the finer grain size.

Hot deformation behavior of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr aluminum alloys during compression at elevated temperature

The hot compression tests of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr aluminum alloys （7056 alloy and 7150 alloy） were performed in a temperature range from 300 to 450 °C and at strain rate range from 0.01 to 10 s-1. The results show that the true stress-true strain curves exhibit a peak stress at a critical strain, then the flow stresses decrease monotonically until high strains, showing a dynamic flow softening. The peak stresses depend on the temperature compensated strain rate, which can be represented by the Zener-Hollomon parameter Z in the hyperbolic-sine equation with hot deformation activation energy of 244.64 kJ/mol for 7056 alloy and 229.75 kJ/mol for 7150 alloy, respectively, while the peak stresses for the former are lower than those for the latter under the similar compression condition. The deformed microstructures consist of a great amount of precipitates within subgrains in the elongated grains at high Z value and exhibit well formed subgrains in the recrystallized grains at low Z value. The smaller subgrains and greater density of fine precipitates in 7150 alloy are responsible for the high peak stresses because of the substructural strengthening and precipitating hardening compared with 7056 alloy.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of high strength Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys used for oil drill pipes

Three Al?Zn?Mg?Cu alloys used for oil drill pipes (Alloy A: Al?6.9Zn?2.3Mg?1.7Cu?0.3Mn?0.17Cr; Alloy B: Al?8.0Zn?2.3Mg?2.6Cu?0.2Zr, Alloy C: Al?8.0Zn?2.3Mg?1.8Cu?0.18Zr) were studied by hardness tests, tensile tests and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that the ultimate tensile strength, yield strength and elongation for Alloys A, B and C are 736 MPa, 695.5 MPa and 7%; 711 MPa, 674 MPa and 12.5%; 740.5 MPa, 707.5 MPa and 13%, respectively after solid solution treatment ((450 °C, 2 h)+(470 °C, 1 h)) followed by aging at 120 °C for 12 h. The dominant strengthening phases in Alloy A are GPII zone andη′ phase, the main precipitate in Alloy B isη′ phase, and the main precipitates in Alloy C are GPI zone, GPII zone andη′ phase, which are the reason for better comprehensive properties of Alloy C. The increase of zinc content leads to the improvement of the strength. The increase of copper content improves the elongation but slightly decreases the strength. Large second-phase particles formed by the increase in the manganese content induce a decrease in the elongation of alloys.

Low cycle fatigue behavior of T4-treated Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys prepared by squeeze casting and gravity die casting

Gravity die casting(GC) and squeeze casting(SC) T4-treated Al-7.0Zn-2.5Mg-2.1Cu alloys were employed to investigate the microstructures,mechanical properties and low cycle fatigue(LCF) behavior.The results show that mechanical properties of SC specimens are significantly better than those of GC specimens due to less cast defects and smaller secondary dendrite arm spacing(SDAS).Excellent fatigue properties are obtained for the SC alloy compared with the GC alloy.GC and SC alloys both exhibit cyclic stabilization at low total strain amplitudes(less than 0.4%) and cyclic hardening at higher total strain amplitudes.The degree of cyclic hardening of SC samples is greater than that of GC samples.Fatigue cracks of GC samples dominantly initiate from shrinkage porosities and are easy to propagate along them,while the crack initiation sites for SC samples are slip bands,eutectic phases and inclusions at or near the free surface.

Effects of minor Sc on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr based alloys

Five kinds of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr based alloys with different Sc additions were prepared by ingot metallurgy. The effects of minor Sc on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr based alloys were investigated using tensile tests, optical microscopy （OM）, and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results show that the ultimate tensile strength and yield strength are improved by 94 and 110 MPa, respectively, and the elongation to failure remains at a reasonable extent （11.1%） in the Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr based alloy with 0.21 wt.% Sc addition after solution heat treatment at 475°C for 40 min and then aged at 120°C for 24 h. The addition of minor Sc induces the formation of Al3（Sc,Zr） particles, which are highly effective in refining the cast microstructures, retarding recrystallization, and pinning dislocations. The increment of strength is attributed mainly to fine grain strengthening, precipitation strengthening of Al3（Sc,Zr） particles, and substructure strengthening.

Effect of minor Sc and Zr on microstructures and mechanical properties of Al-Zn-Mg based alloys

Two kinds of Al Zn Mg based alloys with and without Sc, Zr addition were prepared by ingot metallurgy. The tensile mechanical properties and microstructures of the studied alloys at different treatment conditions were studied. The results show that addition of minor Sc and Zr can remarkably improve the strength of Al Zn Mg based alloys, but the ductility remains on a higher level. The strength increment is mainly due to fine grain strengthening, substructure strengthening and precipitation strengthening of Al 3(Sc,Zr).

Production of high strength Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys by spray forming process

High strength Al Zn Mg Cu alloys were produced by spray forming process, and compacted by hot extrusion. The results show that the as deposited billets have fine grained microstructure and low porosity. After heat treatment, mechanical properties increase greatly: tensile strength up to 754 MPa, yield strength up to 722 MPa, fracture elongation up to 8%, and elastic modulus up to 72 GPa, respectively. [

Solidification microstructures of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys prepared by spraydeposition and conventional casting methods

High strength Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys were prepared by spray deposition and casting techniques. The microstructures of the Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys were studied using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Secondary phases in the microstructures of the alloys prepared by spray deposition and conventional cast were examined. The results indicate that under the conventional casting condition, the microstructure of the alloy revealed the presence of coarse Al/Mg（ZnCu）2 eutectic phases, and the spray deposited process causes an obvious modification in size, morphology, and distribution of secondary phases in the microstructure as well as reduction of segregation. The superior microstructure of the spray-deposited Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy was attributed to the high cooling rate, and associated with the rapid solidification process.

Small Angle X-ray Scattering Study of Precipitation Kinetics in Al-Zn-Mg-Cu Alloys

The evolution of microstructure parameters （precipitate size and volume fraction） for two types of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys （7075 and 7055） during aging has been studied by synchrotron-radiation small angle X-ray scattering （SAXS）.The results show that the precipitates are only a few nanorneters for both alloys ageing even at higher temperature of 160℃ for 72 h （4.44 and 5.82 nm, respectively）. The maximum of the precipitate volume fraction increases with in creasing Zn content and is about 0.023-0.028 and 0.052-0.054, respectively. The coarsening of precipitate is consistent with LSW （Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner） model even at the initial stage where volume fraction is still varying.The activation energy of coarsening regime has been determined to be about 1.22±0.02 eV and 1.25±0.02 eV for alloys 7075 and 7055, respectively.

Influence of cerium on microstructures and mechanical properties of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys

Effect of element cerium （Ce） on microstructure and mechanical properties of A1-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys has been investigated by transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） and hardness test. The results show that addition of Ce can remarkably refine the as-cast grains and eutectic microstructure. A transformation from Mg（Zn,Cu,A1）2 phase to A12CuMg phase is observed during homogenization. Furthermore, the Ce addition introduces changes in the precipitation process and consequently in the age-hardening behavior of the alloy. Microstructural measurements reveal that the addition of Ce promotes the precipitation of η＇ phase, but it also partly retards the precipitation of GP zones. The density of precipitates decreases in a certain degree and rod-like η＇ precipitates increase when Ce content is from 0.2% to 0.4% （mass fraction）.

Correlations among stress corrosion cracking,grain-boundary microchemistry,and Zn content in high Zn-containing Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys

The correlations among the corrosion behaviour,grain-boundary microchemistry,and Zn content in Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys were studied using stress corrosion cracking(SCC)and intergranular corrosion(IGC)tests,combined with scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and high-angle angular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy(HAADF-STEM)microstructural examinations.The results showed that the tensile strength enhancement of high Zn-containing Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys was mainly attributed to the high density nano-scale matrix precipitates.The SCC plateau velocity for the alloy with 11.0 wt.%Zn was about an order of magnitude greater than that of the alloy with 7.9 wt.%Zn,which was mainly associated with Zn enrichment in grain boundary precipitates and wide precipitates-free zones.The SCC mechanisms of different Zn-containing alloys were discussed based on fracture features,grain-boundary microchemistry,and electrochemical properties.

Creep aging behavior and performance of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys under different parameters in retrogression aging treatment

A study was conducted to better understand how different parameters, namely, regression aging time and regression aging temperature, affect the creep aging properties, i.e., the creep deformation and performance of Al-Zn-MgCu alloy during regressive reaging. The corresponding creep strain and mechanical properties of samples were studied by conducting creep tests and uniaxial tensile tests. The electrical conductivity was measured using an eddy-current conductivity meter. The microstructures were observed by transmission electron microscopy(TEM). With the increase in regression aging time, the steady creep strain first increased and then decreased, and reached the maximum at 45 min.The steady creep strain increased with the increase in regression aging temperature, and reached the maximum at 200 ℃.The level of steady creep strain was determined by precipitation and dislocation recovery. Creep aging strengthens 7B50-RRA treated with regression aging time at 190 ℃ for 10 min, and the difference in the mechanical properties of alloy becomes smaller. The diffusion of solute atoms reduces the scattering of electrons, leading to a significant improvement in electrical conductivity and stress corrosion cracking(SCC) resistance after creep aging. The findings of this study could help in the application of creep aging forming(CAF) technology in Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy under RRA treatment.

高强Al-Zn-Mg-Cu合金静态再结晶模型及组织演变

采用Gleeble 3800热模拟试验机对航空用Al-Zn-Mg-Cu合金的热变形行为进行了测试,对变形后的微观组织进行了表征,系统分析了静态软化行为,建立了静态再结晶动力学模型。结果表明:实验用航空Al-Zn-Mg-Cu合金的静态再结晶激活能为129162 J·mol^(-1),静态再结晶体积分数受变形温度、变形程度、变形速率的影响,且变形温度对静态再结晶影响最明显;变形速率一定时,变形温度越高,道次停留时间的影响越不明显;350℃低温变形后,α-Al基体晶粒内部仍存在大量的位错缠结;400℃中温变形后,位错运动能够充分进行,部分晶粒发生了再结晶;450℃高温变形后,基体晶粒基本全部完成了再结晶,基体晶粒内部发现5~25 nm尺寸范围的Al-Zn-Mg-Cu四元相粒子;对于不同热变形条件,模型预测值的误差在0.008~0.0625范围内,动力学模型的计算结果精确度较高。

Effect of Pre-Aging, Over-Aging and Re-Aging on Exfoliation Corrosion and Electrochemical Corrosion Behavior of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu Alloys

By means of TEM, hardness, conductivity, tensile strength test, fracture toughness test, polarization curve and EIS, the Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys treated by a new multi-stage aging system, i.e. pre-aging, over-aging and re-aging (120°C/24h + 160°C/8h + 120°C/24h), were characterized. It is found that compared with the Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys treated by T76 (120°C/24h + 160°C/8h), the new multi-stage aging treatment can improve the tensile strength, fracture toughness, hardness and conductivity of the alloys at the same time. This is mainly due to the pre-aging, over-aging and re-aging process of super high strength aluminum alloys. Compared with the two-stage over aging process, the formation of multi-stage multi-phase precipitation structure can improve the strength, toughness and corrosion resistance of the alloys at the same time. The polarization curve is consistent with the conclusion. Therefore, we conducted this study to test how the comprehensive properties of the alloy can be improved.