Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Al-4Mg-0.3Cu Alloy after HPT and Postdeformation Annealing
Abstract
:Highlights
- The effects of different strain levels and subsequent annealing treatment on the microstructural evolution of Al-4Mg-0.3Cu alloy were investigated.
- The mechanism of Cu segregation at grain boundaries was discussed in detail.
- The thermal stability of different deformed microstructures of Al-4Mg-0.3Cu alloy was evaluated.
- Al-4Mg-0.3Cu alloy subjected to HPT deformation and subsequent heat treatment exhibits high fracture strength and fracture elongation.
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Experimental Section
3. Results
4. Discussion
4.1. Impacts of Accumulated Shear Strain on Microstructural Features
4.2. Mechanism of Cu Segregation and Its Influence on Thermal Stability
4.3. Effects of Solute Segregation/Precipitation on Mechanical Properties
5. Conclusions
- The grain refinement process and GB evolution feature were clarified with increasing strain through TEM. HADDF-STEM and EDS line scanning revealed that a high proportion of Cu-segregated GBs were prone to generation with a lower degree of nonequilibrium.
- The mechanism for solute Cu segregation at GBs was clarified from the view of the binding energy of solute–vacancy. In addition, the EBSD image from the post-aging sample showed that the Al2CuMg phase was prone to precipitating at the HAGBs compared with the LAGBs.
- The thermal stabilities of different grain structures were evaluated through aging treatment at 200 °C for 1 h. A microstructural analysis by TEM suggested that the segregation of Cu can induce a dense distribution of the Al2CuMg phase, which plays an important role in the enhancement of thermal stability.
- Tensile strengths of ~750 and 850 MPa were achieved in the Al-4Mg-0.3Cu alloy by HPT processing for 5 and 10 turns. The subsequent aging after HPT processing significantly increased the tensile fracture elongation, especially for a 5-turn sample, despite that the fracture strength was slightly decreasing.
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Yang, X.; Gao, C.; Ku, T.; Yang, W.; Guo, Y.; Wang, L.; Chen, H.; Li, X.; Hu, R.; Cui, J. Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Al-4Mg-0.3Cu Alloy after HPT and Postdeformation Annealing. Metals 2023, 13, 810. https://doi.org/10.3390/met13040810
Yang X, Gao C, Ku T, Yang W, Guo Y, Wang L, Chen H, Li X, Hu R, Cui J. Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Al-4Mg-0.3Cu Alloy after HPT and Postdeformation Annealing. Metals. 2023; 13(4):810. https://doi.org/10.3390/met13040810
Chicago/Turabian StyleYang, Xiaohui, Chao Gao, Tingting Ku, Wenlu Yang, Yanping Guo, Linzeng Wang, Huiqin Chen, Xiaofeng Li, Rujie Hu, and Jianyu Cui. 2023. "Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Al-4Mg-0.3Cu Alloy after HPT and Postdeformation Annealing" Metals 13, no. 4: 810. https://doi.org/10.3390/met13040810