Papers by Keyword: Natural Aging

Abstract: Aluminium alloy 2024 is widely used in the manufacturing of aircraft components such as skin panels for the wing. Generally, the aluminium alloy 2024 is delivered as cold work condition i.e., 2024 T3. However, the aluminium alloy 2024 T3 does not meet the standard for aircraft wing skin. Therefore, further treatments such as cladding and heat treatment are carried out to improve its quality. Cladding was introduced to the 2024 T3 alloy at 495 °C using commercial purity aluminium. Subsequently, T42 heat treatment was introduced to the 2024 T3 alloy at 500 °C for 40 minutes, then followed by quenching and natural aging for 96 hours, yielding 2024 T42 aluminium alloy with cladding (T42 Clad). 2024 T42 aluminium alloy without cladding (T42 Bare) was also obtained by T42 heat treatment of 2024 T3. The effect of cladding and natural aging on mechanical properties is investigated by tensile test and hardness test. Conductivity meter was used to determine the electrical conductivity. Intergranular corrosion test and stress corrosion crack test were performed to investigate the effect of cladding and natural aging on corrosion resistance. Results indicate that the solution treatment and natural aging improve corrosion resistance, mechanical properties, but reduce electrical conductivity values. Cladding gives higher electrical conductivity value and elongation. Both natural aging and cladding treatment provide appropriate aluminium alloy for aircraft wing skins.

Abstract: In recent years, several studies on the durability of cementitious materials combined with vegetable fibers have been developed. In order to understand the properties of these materials in different environmental conditions, they can be subjected to accelerated aging through several cycles of controlled variations of humidity-temperature, wetting-drying, freezing-thawing. However, analyzes that expose such materials to real conditions of use during their useful life are scarce. As a result, this study analyzed the physical, thermal and mechanical behavior of bamboo bio-concretes produced with different volumes of bio-aggregates, which were exposed to the natural aging of the summer in the city of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). The cementitious binder was is composed, by mass, of cement (30%), metakaolin (30%) and fly ash (40%). The water-to-cement ratio was as 0.30. The mixtures were produced with bamboo volumetric fraction of 30%; 40% and 50%. After 3 months of natural aging during the Brazilian summer (from December to March), the property determined in the hardened state was the compressive strength. In addition, a visual analysis by photograph was also realize. The results revealed that higher the volumetric fraction, higher the decrease of compressive strength. The visual analysis showed several changes of the external aspect of the bio-concretes.

Abstract: The effect of natural aging on mechanical properties and bake hardening behaviors of Al-Mg-Si alloys was quantitatively investigated by a series of tensile experiments along the rolling direction. The natural aging period is from three days to three months after heat treatment. As the results, within three months, along the rolling direction, 0.2% offset yield strength and ultimate tensile strength respectively increased from 97 MPa to 145 MPa, 210 MPa to 248 MPa. The strain hardening exponent n-value and the increment of yield strength after bake hardening respectively decreased from 0.2804 to 0.2186, 127 MPa to 89 MPa. The percentage elongation after fracture varies from 22% to 24% during natural aging and varies from 13% to 16% after bake hardening. A large amount of detailed data has been given, which quantitatively describes the change in mechanical properties and bake hardening behaviors of Al-Mg-Si alloys during natural aging.

Abstract: Zero-field muon spin relaxation experiments were carried out for Al-1.6%Mg₂Si and a pure aluminum in isothermal conditions between 260 and 300 K. Observed relaxation spectra were analyzed to extract the dipole width (D) values which were found to decrease with time after solution heat treatment and quenching. Time variations of D appeared to take place two stages in both samples. The stage transition times (t_II) deduced for Al-1.6%Mg₂Si were comparable to those for the Si-rich clustering stage reported for Al-Mg-Si alloys. The estimated activation energy of Si-rich clustering was 0.62 (±0.04) eV. The stage transition times (t_M) for the pure aluminum were 255, 110 and 82 min after quenching at the measuring temperatures of 260, 280 and 300 K, respectively. An Arrhenius plot of logarithmic t_M against reciprocal temperature resulted in an activation energy of 0.19 (±0.06) eV.

Abstract: In order to study the pre-straining and natural aging effects on the age-hardening response of EN AW 6082 and EN AW 6023 aluminium alloys during artificial aging at 170°C, the pre-straining by 5% was performed immediately after solution treatment of alloys at 550°C and subsequent quenching. The age-hardening response during artificial aging applied after various natural aging time (from 0.1 to 5 000 hours) was investigated using Vickers microhardness measurements and transmission electron microscopy characterization. It was found that pre-straining of quenched alloys state caused a dislocation density increasing in solid solution, which resulted in an immediate microhardness increase of alloys. During the subsequent natural aging of EN AW 6082 alloy, its microhardness increased right after alloy quenching and pre-straining, but only to the values obtained for the unstrained alloy state. On the contrary, the hardness of pre-straining EN AW 6023 alloy that is alloyed by Sn did not increase either after 10 hours of natural aging. This phenomenon is attributed to the effect of Sn on suppression of the strengthening clusters formation. The hardness of alloys increased greatly during artificial aging after pre-straining and natural aging due to accelerating the formation of coherent β″-phase particles. The negative effect of natural aging on the maximum age-hardening response obtained during alloys artificial aging had been observed for most of the pre-strained and naturally aged alloys states, with exception of EN AW 6023 alloy states that were pre-strained and shortly naturally aged (up to 100 hours).

Abstract: The effect of natural pre-aging time (from 0.1 to 10000 h) on mechanical response during subsequent artificial aging of EN AW 6063 aluminium alloy at 170°C was investigated using Vickers microhardness measurements, tensile test analysis and transmission electron microscopy characterization. The microhardness and tensile strength of EN AW 6063 alloy increased slightly with natural aging time. Afterward, the artificial ageing from 18 to 20 hours induced the maximum increasing of hardness and strength for variously naturally pre-aged states of alloy. But, it was found that when pre-aging time was prolonged from 0.1 h to 10000 h, the mechanical response of artificial aging applied for the pre-aged alloy states was slightly improved. It was suggested, that as pre-aging time was increased, the size of β'-phase particles formed in solid solution of pre-aged alloy state during artificial aging was decreased and their amount was increased.

Abstract: A heat treatable A7N01 (Al-Zn-Mg) aluminum alloy mainly used to fabricate high-speed train body structures was double-sided welded by MIG welding. The natural aging behavior of the joint was systematically studied by local and global mechanical property testing method. Based on TEM observation and EPMA analysis, the key factors that lead to different natural aging behavior among various regions of the joint were discussed. The global tensile strength of the joints increased obviously after natural aging. All the joint samples fractured in the weld zone, which demonstrated the weld zone was the weakest zone of the joints. And the strength of the global welds were depended on the microstructure and natural aging ability of the weld zone. Moreover, the increase of the tensile property of the three local regions in the weld zone after post natural aging decreased as Middle>lower>upper. The above phenomenon was also further confirmed by microhardness measurement. The age hardening behavior is greatly influenced by the concentration of strengthening precipitates forming element Zn. The Zn content in the weld zone determined by EPMA showed that element Zn was dispersed unevenly, which is attributed to the double V-groove design used in this work and Zn vaporization in the molten pool during welding. The Zn content in the middle layer metals is higher than that of the upper and lower layers, resulting in the remarkable hardening response for the middle layer of the weld zone during natural aging process. Additionally, the solution zone containing the same Zn content as the base metal and undergoing sufficient solid solution during welding was found to possess the high hardening ability after natural aging process.

Abstract: Quench trials were performed on AA6005A and AA6016 alloys to assess the sensitivity of their tensile properties as well as bendability to quench after solution heat treatment. Results indicate that the tensile properties in T4 and in the paint-baked state (2% pre-strain + 185 °C/20 min) are hardly affected by quench rate as long as the exit temperature (T_exit) is sufficiently low. The bendability however, appears to be more sensitive to quench rate, and the sensitivity depends on the chemical composition of the alloy. The alloy with a higher excess Si content exhibits higher sensitivity to natural aging which in turn affects the bending and hemming performance of the material. Therefore, it is not only the quench rate which affects the bendability but also the temperature of the material at the end of quench. DSC analysis revealed how cluster formation proceeding the solution heat-treatment (SH) and quench provokes the quench sensitivity.

Abstract: AlMgSi alloys (6XXX series) provide a good strength due to the precipitation of β” and β (Mg₂Si) phases. They have also very good formability which is required for different forming process after appropriate heat treatments.This work was carried out to investigate the effect of the addition of copper and the excess of Si on the response of natural and artificial aging of two Al-Mg-Si alloys. The aging parameters on precipitation sequence of two Al-Mg-Si alloys with and without excess Si were studied by DSC, MET and Vickers hardness measurement. The combined effect of Cu, Fe and excess of Si was found to accelerate the precipitation of the hardening phases. The additions of copper to the AlMgSi refine the average of the grain size and have a greater hardening effect compared to the excess silicon addition.

Abstract: The precipitation sequence of an Al-Mg-Si alloy depends on many parameters. In this study the natural aging effect on the activation energy of the precipitation sequence in the Al-Mg-Si alloy have been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The precipitation sequence of an Al-Mg-Si alloy has been established. The activation energy of the precipitation process was calculated using Kissinger model. The results obtained using this method showed a change in the activation energy for all precipitated phases. The activation energy of the metastable phases (β″ and β′) and the stable phase β formation in the Al-Mg-Si alloy aged at room temperature have been determined.