Acta Metallurgica Sinica (English Letters) ›› 2020, Vol. 33 ›› Issue (5): 751-758.DOI: 10.1007/s40195-018-0818-1

• Original Paper • Previous Articles    

Optimized Combinatorial Properties of an AlMgSi(Cu) Alloy Achieved by a Mechanical-Thermal Combinatorial Process

Li-Mei Liu1, Yu-Xiang Lai1, Chun-Hui Liu1, Jiang-Hua Chen1,2()   

  1. 1Center for High-Resolution Electron Microscopy, College of Materials Science & Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
    2Hunan Province Key Laboratory for Spray Deposition Technology and Application, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
  • Received:2018-05-23 Revised:2018-07-23 Online:2020-05-10 Published:2020-05-25
  • Contact: Jiang-Hua Chen

Abstract:

Enhancing combinatorial properties, such as excellent corrosion resistance, high strength and good ductility combined, is an important issue for manufacturing high-quality AlMgSi(Cu) alloys. Here, we show that this can be achieved by optimizing a combinatorial process consisting of pre-ageing, cold-rolling and post-ageing to tailor the hierarchical microstructures of the alloy. Transmission electron microscopy analysis reveals that the enhanced combinatorial properties of corrosion resistance, strength and ductility are owing to modification of grain boundary microstructure in good association with changes of precipitate microstructures and a more homogenous distribution of solute atoms, as compared with the microstructures of the alloy processed by thermal ageing only.

Key words: Al alloy, Corrosion resistance, Mechanical property, Ageing, Deformation