State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, PR China.
Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
Sci Rep. 2017 Aug 29;7(1):9589. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-10291-4.
To provide insight into precipitation phenomena in age-hardening Al-Zn-Mg(-Cu) matrix composites, an Al 7075 alloy composite reinforced with BC particles was selected as a model system. The bulk composites were fabricated via plasma activated sintering and followed by a peak aged (T6) heat treatment. Two types of Al matrix zones were identified in the composite: (1) the regions in the vicinity of the matrix/reinforcement interface, defined as "matrix plastic zone" (MPZ) hereafter, and (2) the regions away from the matrix/reinforcement interface, simply defined as matrix hereafter. The precipitation behavior in the MPZ was characterized and compared to that in the matrix. The MPZ contained a high density of dislocations. The number density of GP zones in the MPZ is lower than that in the matrix while the average size of the GP zones in MPZ is coarser. In addition, semi-coherent platelet η' precipitates were observed but only in the MPZ. The dislocations and the Al/BC interfaces provide more heterogeneous nucleation sites for the η' precipitates in the MPZ. The growth and coarsening of the η' precipitates caused rapid depletion of Mg and Zn solute atoms in the MPZ.
为了深入了解时效强化 Al-Zn-Mg(-Cu) 基体复合材料中的析出现象,选择了具有 BC 颗粒增强的 Al 7075 合金复合材料作为模型体系。采用等离子活化烧结制备块状复合材料,并进行峰值时效(T6)热处理。在复合材料中鉴定出两种类型的 Al 基体区:(1)基体/增强体界面附近的区域,此后称为“基体塑性区”(MPZ);(2)远离基体/增强体界面的区域,简单地称为基体。对 MPZ 中的析出行为进行了表征,并与基体中的析出行为进行了比较。MPZ 中含有高密度的位错。MPZ 中 GP 区的位错密度低于基体,而 MPZ 中 GP 区的平均尺寸较粗。此外,仅在 MPZ 中观察到半共格小板 η'析出物。位错和 Al/BC 界面为 MPZ 中的 η'析出物提供了更多的异质形核点。η'析出物的生长和粗化导致 MPZ 中 Mg 和 Zn 溶质原子的快速耗尽。