Effect of 3%Zn Addition on the Non-Isothermal Precipitation Behaviors of Al-Mg-Si-Cu Alloys
Received date: 2020-12-29
Revised date: 2021-04-16
Online published: 2021-07-02
Supported by
National Natural Science Foundation of China(51871029);National Key Research and Development Program of China(2016YFB0300801);Government Guided Program-Intergovernmental Bilateral Innovation Cooperation Project(BZ2019019);Opening Project of State Key Lab of Advanced Metals and Materials(2020-ZD02)
To reduce the weight of a car body, Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloys have been extensively studied for outer body panels of automobiles owing to their high strength-to-weight ratio, recyclability, and good formability. Moreover, the strength of Al-Mg-Si-Cu series alloys can be enhanced using the bake-hardening treatment. However, compared with steel, the formability and final strengths of the alloys need further improvement, which is a major challenge to the large-scale application of Al alloys in the automotive fields. In this study, the non-isothermal precipitation behavior of Al-0.8Mg-1.2Si-0.5Cu-0.3Mn-0.5Fe(-3.0Zn) (mass fraction, %) alloy was systematically investigated using DSC, TEM, tensile test, and hardness measurements. The results show that adding Zn can simultaneously increase the formation and redissolution of solute clusters in the alloys during low- and high-temperatures non-isothermal heat treatments and promote precipitation. The kinetic equations of precipitation in the two alloys were established based on the activation energy of precipitation obtained through DSC analyses and other material parameters, which can effectively predict the corresponding precipitation rates. Further, adding 3.0%Zn to the alloy can effectively increase the nucleation rate of the precipitates in the alloy during non-isothermal heat treatment, resulting in higher hardness. Additionally, with the increase of ageing temperature, the hardness increased gradually, but a hardness plateau appeared at approximately 100oC, and the peak hardness values appeared at approximately 250oC, followed by a decrease in hardness. TEM microstructural characterization showed that non-isothermal heat treatment could result in the formation of multiscale β'' precipitates in the two alloys in the peak ageing state. In comparison, adding Zn to the alloy increased the number density of the precipitates and significantly changed the lattice parameters of β'' phases formed in the peak aged alloy. Finally, based on the obtained microstructure and mechanical properties, the relationship between the precipitate distribution and microhardness of the two alloys was established.
Bo YUAN , Mingxing GUO , Shaojie HAN , Jishan ZHANG , Linzhong ZHUANG . Effect of 3%Zn Addition on the Non-Isothermal Precipitation Behaviors of Al-Mg-Si-Cu Alloys[J]. Acta Metall Sin, 2022 , 58(3) : 345 -354 . DOI: 10.11900/0412.1961.2020.00529
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