Characterization of retrogression and reaging behavior of 8090 Al-Li-Cu-Mg-Zr alloy

An 8090 Al-Li-Cu-Mg-Zr alloy in the peak-aged (T8) temper was subjected to retrogression treatment at temperatures above and below the δ′ (Al₃Li) solvus line and immediately reaged to various tempers. Retrogression and reaging (RRA) behavior is characterized by hardness testing, tensile testing, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and electrochemical polarization studies. Retrogression of the T8 temper alloy causes dissolution primarily of δ′ (Al₃Li) precipitates into solid solution that results in a decrease of hardness and tensile strength and an increase of ductility of the alloy. Reaging of the retrogressed state causes reprecipitation of the δ′ precipitates in the matrix resulting in the restoration of strength and ductility properties. Retrogression and reaging to the peak-aged temper, designated at T77 temper, has been found to retain the strength of the conventional T8 temper, but with the gross aging time in the RRA temper almost twice that of the conventional T8 temper, the microstructure of the RRA temper approaches that of the overaged (T7) temper. Thus, RRA treatment contributes to an improvement of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) resistance over the conventional T8 temper while retaining the mechanical properties of T8 temper.     

Studies of retrogression and reaging behavior in a 1441 Al-Li-Cu-Mg-Zr alloy

A 1441 Al-Li-Cu-Mg-Zr alloy in the peak-aged T8 temper was subjected to retrogression treatment and immediately reaged to various tempers. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), hardness measurements, tensile testing, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) fractography, and electrochemical polarization studies have been made to characterize the retrogression and the retrogression and reaging (RRA) behavior of the alloy. Retrogression of the T8 temper causes dissolution of δ′ (Al₃Li) precipitates into solid solution, resulting in a decrease of hardness and tensile strength and an increase of ductility. Reaging the retrogressed state causes restoration of strength and ductility properties because of the reprecipitation of the δ′ phase in the matrix, confirmed by TEM, XRD, and DSC studies and image analysis. The SEM fractographs revealed predominantly intergranular fracture in all the tempers due to strain localization at the grain boundaries. The gross aging time of the RRA tempers approaches that of the over-aged T7 temper, which would contribute to an improvement of the stress-corrosion cracking (SCC) resistance while maintaining the T8 temper mechanical properties.     

回归再时效7150铝合金力学性能、剥蚀行为及微观组织研究

采用拉伸试验、剥蚀试验、硬度测试及透射电镜（TEM）观察研究了195℃回归时7150铝合金硬度变化及微观组织形祝,以及回归不同时间的RRA工艺对7150铝合金力学性能和剥蚀行为的影响,并与T6及T73进行了比较研究。结果表明,7150-T6铝合金强度高而剥蚀敏感性大;7150-T73铝合金强度降低而耐腐蚀性大幅度提高。195℃回归时,回归时间小于0．5h,7150-RRA铝合金强度高于7150-T6强度,而剥蚀敏感性未有效降低;当回归时间延长至1h,7150-RRA铝合金可保持7150-T6的高强度,而其剥蚀敏感性则大幅度降低。     

A TEM study of microstructural changes during retrogression and reaging in 7075 aluminum

Microstructural changes occurring during retrogression, and during retrogression plus reaging in 7075-T6 aluminum alloy have been investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy, and related to mechanical properties. TEM results indicate that the drop in strength during the initial stage of retrogression was due to the partial dissolution of G.P. zones while the growth of the semi-coherentη ′ was responsible for the rapid recovery of strength. It is suggested that the retrogression and reaging treatment resulted in the increase in volume fraction of G.P. zones and especially η′ precipitates over both the T6 and retrogressed conditions, therefore significantly improving the strength of the alloy.     

A study of the mechanism of hardness change of Al-Zn-Mg alloy during retrogression reaging treatments by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS)

In this work, the changes in hardness of Al-Zn-Mg alloy during retrogression and reaging (RRA) treatments were detected and the mechanism of the hardness change was studied by Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS). It was discovered that the hardness changes during RRA treatments are as follows. (1) Hardness decreases at the beginning of retrogression, achieves a minimum value at 90 seconds, and then increases and achieves the second maximum value at 6 minutes, and finally decreases simply. (2) Hardness of the reaged sample is higher than that of the retrogressed sample. The following conclusions were drawn from the experimental results of SAXS. (1) The drop in hardness for short retrogression time is attributed to the decrease of volume fraction of the precipitates and the growth of the particles; the drop in hardness with increasing retrogression time after the second maximum of hardness achieved is attributed to coarsening of the particles. 2. The increase in hardness during reaging is due to the occurrence of new precipitates and the increase of volume fraction of the precipitates.     

Stress corrosion cracking of superplastically formed 7475 aluminum alloy

The effects of biaxial superplastic deformation and postforming heat treatment upon the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of a fine-grained 7475Al alloy plate have been investigated. For all postforming tempered conditions, increasing the extent of superplastic deformation, which created more cavitations, would decrease the mechanical properties, the SCC resistance, and the corrosion resistance. The influence of cavitation on the decay of elongation of the superplastically formed workpieces is larger than that on the decay of its strength. Post-forming tempered by retrogression and reaging (RRA) treatment could effectively improve the SCC resistance of workpieces in postforming T6 temper while not sacrificing the strength. However, the benefit of improving the SCC resistance by means of the postforming RRA temper was decreased with increasing the extent of superplastic deformation, because the SCC susceptibility increased as the extent of superplastic deformation increased for each postforming tempered condition. The cavitation led to more anodic corrosion potential and pitting potential and to an increase in both corrosion current density and passive current density, which would increase the SCC susceptibility.     

Effect of retrogression and reaging treatments on the microstructure of Ai-7075-T651

The effect of the retrogression and reaging treatments (RRA) on the microstructure of Al-7075 in the T651 temper, both in the matrix and on grain boundaries, was studied using transmission electron microscopy. The processes occurring in the matrix during the retrogression treatment are principally the dissolution of small particles of the η’ transition phase, transformation to η of the larger particles of η’, coarsening of the three commonly observed variants of the η phase precipitates (η₁, η₂, and η₄), and precipitation of new η phase particles, particularly the η₁ variant. The main process occurring during the reaging treatment is either growth of partially dissolved η’ particles or precipitation of the η’ phase. These lead to a microstructure containing many fine η’ precipitates and some larger η₁ and η₂ particles with a smaller amount of coarse η₄ particles, resulting in a broad particle size distribution. The high strength of the 7075 alloy in the RRA temper is believed to arise from the relatively high overall concentration of particles in this dispersion. The retrogression treatment produces rapid initial coarsening of the grain boundary particles, which are primarily η phase precipitates, resulting in an increase in their volume per unit grain boundary area,V _A . The beneficial effect of the RRA treatment on the susceptibility of 7075-T651 to SCC is believed to be due, at least partially, to the increased value ofV _A produced by the RRA treatment. Formerly Visiting Assistant Research Engineer in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA     

Optimization of Retrogression Parameters of AA7010 Alloy

The present work has been carried out on an AA7010 aluminium alloy so as to optimize the retrogression and re-aging (RRA) schedule that leads to the optimal combination of mechanical properties and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) resistance. The alloy is heat treated at different retrogression temperatures for varying retrogression time and subsequently the window for optimization of retrogression parameters of RRA schedule is established after re-aging. It is found that retrogression at 473 K for 35 min results into the best combination of the above properties. The enhancement in mechanical properties and SCC resistance is due to the formation of discontinuous and coarse precipitates along the grain boundaries and also the copper enrichment of the precipitates that occur during optimum RRA schedule. It is established that proper control of the process parameters is essential to control the final microstructure and thereby enhance the mechanical properties and SCC resistance of the alloys.     

Al-6.1Zn-2.6Mg-1.6Cu 铝合金的回归再时效热处理

The effects of the retrogression temperature and time of retrogression and re-aging heat treatment(RRA) on the hardness and electrical conductivity of Al-6.1Zn-2.6Mg-1.6Cu aluminum alloy were studied. Samples were pre-aged at 120℃ for 24h as the first-stage treatment. Then, retrogression was performed at a temperature range of 170～250℃ for times of between 1min and 180min, followed by re-aging at 120℃ for 24h. Hardness (H) and electrical conductivity (EC) measurements were used to characterize the samples after RRA treatment. Analysis of the results shows: (1)The re-aging treatment at 120℃ for 24 h increases both H and EC of the retrogressed alloy in the RRA process;(2) RRA with retrogression at higher than 200℃ result in EC higher than that of peak-aged, but H lower; The change of H and EC with respect to retrogression temperature (T) and time (t) can be seen as functions of H (t) = H0 A1e(-t/s) ,EC(t) =A(1-e(-k·(t-Xc)));(3) RRA treatments with retrogression at 190℃ for 4～30min result in H and EC which are both higher than those of the peak-aged temper, and retrogression at 190℃for 30min is the industrial application that yields H of 190 HV and EC of 33.5%IACS.     

Sensitization and Intergranular Corrosion Behavior of High Nitrogen Type 304LN Stainless Steels for Reprocessing and Waste Management Applications

High nitrogen 304LN stainless steels (SS) intended for chloride and nitric acid environments in spent nuclear fuel reprocessing and waste management applications were evaluated for their sensitization and intergranular corrosion (IGC) resistance. For this purpose, high nitrogen (0.132 pct, 0.193 pct and 0.406 pct) containing, impurity-controlled, vanadium-added 304LN SS alloys were developed. For comparison, 304L SS, which is currently used in reprocessing plants, was also studied. These stainless steels were subjected to heat treatment at 948 K (675 °C) for various durations ranging from 1 to 1000 hours and tested for susceptibility to IGC as per ASTM A262 Practice A and E tests. The degree of sensitization was estimated with the double loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation technique. The increase in nitrogen content resulted in higher hardness and finer grain size. Based on the detailed microstructural and corrosion studies, it was determined that an addition of 0.132 pct and 0.193 pct nitrogen showed better IGC resistance and an additional increase in nitrogen resulted in deterioration resulting from chromium nitride precipitation, which was confirmed by electrochemical phase separation and X-ray diffraction studies. The onset of desensitization was faster for the alloy with 0.132 pct nitrogen as well as 0.406 pct nitrogen because of the lower nitrogen content in the former case and the finer grain size in the latter case. The higher hardness and superior IGC resistance of 0.132 pct and 0.193 pct nitrogen containing Type 304LN SS suggests the suitability of this alloy for nitric acid- and chloride-containing environments of reprocessing and waste management plants.     

时效制度对7B04高强铝合金力学及腐蚀性能的影响

采用常规力学性能、标准紧凑拉伸、电导率、慢应变速率拉伸(SSRT)及剥落腐蚀测试等手段,研究了不同热处理状态下7B04铝合金预拉伸板的力学及腐蚀性能。结果表明,合金的强度、韧性和腐蚀性能与时效制度密切相关。单级峰时效(T6)状态下合金的强度最高,但是其抗应力腐蚀(SCC)性能及断裂韧性最低;双级过时效(T74和T73)状态下材料的断裂韧性和抗SCC性能明显提高,但是其强度牺牲较多;与T6相比,RRA时效处理可明显提高合金的抗SCC性能,且强度牺牲较少,仅下降2%左右,同时断裂韧性也有一定提高。     

Effect of Annealing on Thermal Stability, Precipitate Evolution, and Mechanical Properties of Cryorolled Al 7075 Alloy

The effect of annealing on microstructural stability, precipitate evolution, and mechanical properties of cryorolled (CR) Al 7075 alloy was investigated in the present work employing hardness measurements, tensile test, X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The solution-treated bulk Al 7075 alloy was subjected to cryorolling to produce fine grain structures and, subsequently, annealing treatment to investigate its thermal stability. The recrystallization of CR Al 7075 alloys started at an annealing temperature of 423 K (150 °C) and completed at an annealing temperature of 523 K (250 °C). The CR Al 7075 alloys with ultrafine-grained microstructure are thermally stable up to 623 K (350 °C). Within the range of 523 K to 623 K (250 °C to 350 °C), the size of small η phase particles and AlZr₃ dispersoids lies within 300 nm. These small precipitate particles pin the grain boundaries due to the Zener pinning effect, which suppresses grain growth. The hardness and tensile strength of the CR Al 7075 alloys was reduced during the annealing treatment from 423 K to 523 K (150 °C to 250 °C) and subsequently it remains constant.     

Retrogression and reaging and the role of dislocations in the stress corrosion of 7000-type aluminum alloys

The 7000-type aluminum alloys in the T6 temper are known to be highly susceptible to stress-corrosion cracking (SCC). Some years ago, a heat treatment known as retrogression and reaging (RR) was developed by one of the authors (B.C.), providing for enhanced stress-corrosion resistance without any sacrifice of yield or tensile strength in 7075 aluminum alloy. The idea behind the process was based on the suggestion that dislocations developed during quenching from the solution treatment were responsible for susceptibility to stress corrosion. In spite of considerable practical development of the RR process, the above basic hypothesis as to the role of dislocations has never been investigated. In the present work, the effect of the RR treatments on the dislocation structure of 7000-type aluminum alloys was studied using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A clear relationship has been found between the presence of dislocations adjacent to grain boundaries and the susceptibility to stress corrosion of 7000-type aluminum alloys. The beneficial effect of the RR treatment on the SCC of 7000-type aluminum alloys in the T6 temper is believed to be due to the disappearance of the above dislocations as a result of RR treatment.     

基于厚向组织性能考量的7B50铝合金中厚板回归再时效热处理

为解决T6态高强铝合金强度高而耐蚀性难以满足使用需求，采用三级时效工艺来改善析出强化相特别是晶界析出相的形貌、尺寸、分布等，并通过研究不同回归处理制度对组织、性能的影响而获得适宜7B50铝合金中厚板的三级时效工艺.研究发现提高回归温度或延长回归时间均会使中厚板心部及表层组织的晶内和晶界析出相发生粗化并析出稳定η-MgZn₂相，导致强度下降、电导率上升，其中回归温度对强度和电导率的影响显著.三级时效处理虽使晶内析出相尺寸有所增加，但却使T6态连续分布的晶界析出相呈断续分布，结合心部和表层强度及电导率测量结果认为合适的回归处理制度为165℃/6 h.然而，热轧引起中厚板表层较心部更为严重的变形使表层含有更多的亚晶或亚结构且其分布更均匀，从而使表层更快到达峰时效，进一步的回归再时效处理则使表层析出更多稳定η相，而η相的形成与晶内析出相的粗化长大是造成表层和心部强度差异的关键.虽然淬火/三级时效态表层和心部的晶粒结构存在差异，且局部出现亚晶合并长大，但其对强度的提升效果远低于表层析出稳定η相所引起的强度下降.可见，三级时效工艺并不能缓解7B50铝合金中厚板心部和表层的性能差异，但可使表层和心部的强度、电导率满足某实际工况要求.      

Development of Wear-Resistant Cu-10Cr-3Ag Electrical Contacts with Nano-Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> Dispersion by Mechanical Alloying and High Pressure Sintering

Cu-10Cr-3Ag (wt pct) alloy with nanocrystalline Al₂O₃ dispersion was prepared by mechanical alloying and consolidated by high pressure sintering at different temperatures. Characterization by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy or transmission electron microscopy shows the formation of nanocrystalline matrix grains of about 40 nm after 25 hours of milling with nanometric (<20 nm) Al₂O₃ particles dispersed in it. After consolidation by high pressure sintering (8 GPa at 400 °C to 800 °C), the dispersoids retain their ultrafine size and uniform distribution, while the alloyed matrix undergoes significant grain growth. The hardness and wear resistance of the pellets increase significantly with the addition of nano-Al₂O₃ particles. The electrical conductivity of the pellets without and with nano-Al₂O₃ dispersion is about 30 pct IACS (international annealing copper standard) and 25 pct IACS, respectively. Thus, mechanical alloying followed by high pressure sintering seems a potential route for developing nano-Al₂O₃ dispersed Cu-Cr-Ag alloy for heavy duty electrical contact.     

Microstructure,Mechanical and Abrasive Wear Behavior of 8.0 wt pct Cr White Iron Subjected to Continuous and Cyclic Annealing Treatment

Continuous annealing treatment (austenitization for 4 hours followed by furnace cooling) and cyclic annealing treatment (four cycles of austenitization, each of 0.66 hours duration followed by forced air cooling) of 8.0 wt pct Cr white iron samples are undertaken at 1173 K, 1223 K, 1273 K, 1323 K, and 1373 K (900 °C, 950 °C, 1000 °C, 1050 °C, and 1100 °C) as steps of destabilizing the as-cast structure. Continuous annealing results in precipitation of secondary carbides on a matrix containing mainly pearlite, while cyclic annealing treatment causes similar precipitation of secondary carbides on a matrix containing martensite plus retained austenite. On continuous annealing, the hardness falls below the as-cast value (HV 556), while after cyclic annealing treatment there is about 70 pct increase in hardness, i.e., up to HV 960. Decrease in hardness with increasing annealing temperature is quite common after both heat treatments. The as-cast notched impact toughness (4.0 J) is nearly doubled by increasing to 7.0 J after both continuous and cyclic annealing treatment at 1173 K and 1223 K (900 °C and 950 °C). Cyclic annealing treatment gives rise to a maximum notched impact toughness of 10.0 J at 1373 K (1100 °C). Abrasive wear resistance after continuous annealing treatment degrades exhibiting wear loss greater than that of the as-cast alloy. In contrast, samples with cyclic annealing treatment show reasonably good wear resistance, thereby superseding the wear performance of Ni-Hard IV.

     

双级时效对7075合金应力腐蚀性能影响

双级时效处理虽能有效提高7075铝合金抗应力腐蚀开裂(SCC)性能,但同时会导致合金力学性能降低。为了同时提高7075铝合金的拉伸性能和抗SCC性能,并优化双级时效参数,对双级时效处理7075合金进行了正交试验。通过扫描电镜和透射电镜在慢应变速率实验中研究7075合金的SCC行为。结果发现,在130 ℃条件下保温4 h后,在170 ℃条件下保温8 h,合金抗拉强度、伸长率和应力腐蚀指数I_SSRT分别为488 MPa、10.8%和0.095。      

Atmospheric stress corrosion cracking of a superplastic 7475 aluminum alloy

The influence of different heat treatments upon the atmospheric stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of fine-grained 7475 Al-alloy plates has been investigated. The small size of the matrix precipitates and grain-boundary precipitates (GBPs) was found to be the main cause of atmospheric SCC suscepti-bility. Increasing the size of the matrix precipitates and GBPs by increasing the degree of aging could improve the atmospheric SCC resistance. The size of the matrix precipitates was the major factor affecting the atmospheric SCC resistance when GBPs were larger than a critical size that could nucleate hydrogen bubbles. However, if the size of the GBPs was smaller than this critical size, the improvement of atmospheric SCC resistance due to grain refinement, resulting from a more homo-geneous slip mode, could not be obtained because hydrogen embrittlement became serious. By meas-uring the electrical conductivity, the influence of matrix precipitates, but not that of GBPs, on SCC susceptibility could be obtained. Retrogression and reaging (RRA) treatment could effectively im-prove the atmospheric SCC resistance of T6 temper because RRA temper could produce larger sizes of both the matrix precipitates and GBPs than could T6 tempered condition.     

The influence of Mo and Co on the embrittlement of an Fe-Ni-Mn alloy

In the “as rolled” condition an Fe-6 Ni-5 Mn maraging type alloy was found to be brittle exhibiting intergranular fractures. The addition of 2.5 pct Mo and 5.0 pct Mo increased the impact toughness of the “as rolled” material and changed the mode of brittle fracture to transgranular cleavage. The addition of 9 pct Co embrittled the alloy. On aging Mo and Co raised the peak hardness of the base Fe-6 Ni-5 Mn alloy, however, aging led to rapid embrittlement. The base alloy and an alloy containing 2.5 pct Mo showed brittle intergranular fractures on aging. The addition of 5 pct Mo gave rise to brittle transgranular cleavage fractures on aging at 450°C, but at temperatures less than 450°C there was always up to 20 pct intergranular fracture present in brittle fractures. At temperatures greater than 475°C brittle intergranular failure occurred in the 5 pct Mo alloy due to a grain boundary film of M₆C and Fe₂Mo. This paper is based upon a thesis submitted by D. R. Squires in partial fulfilment for a higher degree of CNAA at Sheffield Polytechnic.