Analytical Electron Microscopy Study of Second-Phase Particles in 7075 and 7475 Aluminum Alloys

X-ray microanalysis and Convergent Beam Electron Diffraction (CBD) studies were conducted to characterize the second phase particles in two commercial aluminum alloys -- 7075 and 7475. The second phase particles studied were large (approximately 2-5μm) constituent phases and relatively fine ( ∼ 0.05-1μn) dispersoid particles, Figures 1A and B. Based on the crystal structure and chemical composition analyses, the constituent phases found in these alloys were identified to be Al7Cu2Fe, (Al,Cu)6(Fe,Cu), α-Al12Fe3Si, Mg2Si, amorphous silicon oxide and the modified 6Fe compounds, in decreasing order of abundance. The results of quantitative X-ray microanalysis of all the constituent phases are listed in Table I. The data show that, in almost all the phases, partial substitution of alloying elements occurred resulting in small deviations from the published stoichiometric compositions of the binary and ternary compounds.