Review On Progress of 7xxx Series Aluminum Alloy Materials

Since the first generation of 7xxx superhard aluminum alloy was investigated in 1930, hitherto the fifth generation aluminum alloy materials with high comprehensive properties such as high static strength, high strength, heat resistance, high toughness, damage resistance, low density and low quenching sensitivity have been improved and developed. This paper reviews the progress of 7xxx aluminum alloy materials in composition, microstructure, properties, preparation methods, heat treatment strengthening and applications from 2014 to 2021. The effect of adding trace elements on microstructure and properties of 7xxx series alloy and the problems existing in aging precipitation characteristics and reinforcement mechanism are discussed. The future development direction of 7xxx superhard aluminum alloy is prospected by optimizing heat treatment technological, adding appropriate trace elements to alloy and controlling alloy microstructure.

Aging precipitation behavior of σ phase in 22Cr15Ni3.5Cu austenitic stainless steel

σ phase is one of the main precipitates affecting the toughness of austenitic stainless steel, V-notch impact test, SEM, EDS and TEM analysis were conducted on the newly developed 22Cr15Ni3.5Cu stainless steel after 650°C aging. Precipitation mechanism of σ phase and its effect on the toughness of the material were analyzed. The test results show that toughness of the material decreases to 25.6J after 300h aging, σ phase started to precipitate along the grain boundary after 500h aging, and in the crystal after 1000h aging. The precipitation spacing is about 100 nm, forming a gradually increasing size from crystal to grain boundary. As the precipitation time 500h of σ phase was later than the critical aging time of ductile brittle transition, it can be inferred from the test result that σ phase is not the main precipitation phase affecting the toughness of 22Cr15Ni3.5Cu.

Effects of Aging under Stress on Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of EN AW 7075 Alloy

In the present study, microstructural and mechanical properties of EN AW 7075 following stress-aging were assessed. For this purpose, properties of stress-aged samples were compared with values obtained for conventionally aged counterparts. It is revealed that the strength and hardness of EN AW 7075 can be increased by the presence of external stresses during aging. Precipitation kinetics were found to be accelerated. The effects of conventional and stress-aging on the microstructure were analyzed using synergetic techniques: the differently aged samples were probed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in order to characterize the precipitation processes. DSC was found to be an excellent screening tool for the analysis of precipitation processes during aging of this alloy with and without the presence of external stresses. Furthermore, using electron microscopy it was revealed that an improvement in mechanical properties can be correlated to changes in the morphologies and sizes of precipitates formed.

First-Principles Study on the Cu/Fe Interface Properties of Ternary Cu-Fe-X Alloys

The supersaturated Fe in Cu is known to reduce the electrical conductivity of Cu severely. However, the precipitation kinetics of Fe from Cu are sluggish. Alloying is one of the effective ways to accelerate the aging precipitation of Cu-Fe alloys. Nucleation plays an important role in the early stage of aging. The interface property of Cu/γ–Fe is a key parameter in understanding the nucleation mechanism of γ-Fe, which can be obviously affected with the addition of alloying elements. In this paper, first principles calculations were carried out to investigate the influence of alloying elements on the interface properties, including the geometric optimizations, interfacial energy, work of adhesion and electronic structure. Based on the previous research, 14 elements including B, Si, P, Al, Ge, S, Mg, Ag, Cd, Sn, In, Sb, Zr and Bi were selected for investigation. Results showed that all these alloying elements tend to concentrate in the Cu matrix with the specific substitution position of the atoms determined by the binding energy between Fe and alloy element (X). The bonding strength of the Cu/γ-Fe interface will decrease obviously after adding Ag, Mg and Cd, while a drop in interfacial energy of Cu/γ–Fe will happen when alloyed with Al, B, S, P, Si, Ge, Sn, Zr, Bi, Sb and In. Further study of the electronic structure found that Al and Zr were not effective alloying elements.