Effect of Multistage Solution Aging Heat Treatment on Mechanical Properties and Precipitated Phase Characteristics of High-Strength Toughened 7055 Alloy

Materials (Basel). 2024 Apr 11;17(8):1754. doi: 10.3390/ma17081754.

Abstract

In this paper, a one-step hot extrusion dual-stage solution treatment method is employed to fabricate high-strength and tough T-shaped complex cross-section 7055 (Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr) alloy profiles, and a detailed investigation is conducted on the microstructure and mechanical properties. The results indicate that the comprehensive mechanical properties of the 7055 aluminum extruded alloy using the two-stage solution aging treatment are excellent. This is particularly evident in the balance between strength and ductility, where outstanding strength is accompanied by a plasticity that is maintained at 13.2%. During the extrusion process, the deformation textures are mainly composed of brass and copper, forming a 15.1% recrystallization texture Cube. In addition, the equilibrium phase η(MgZn2) precipitated in the grain is the main strengthening phase, and there are large discontinuous grain boundary precipitates at the grain boundary, which hinders the grain boundary dislocation movement and has great influence on the mechanical properties of alloy materials.

Keywords: 7055 aluminum alloy; mechanical properties; precipitation characteristics; solution aging heat treatment.