TEQIP Workshop on Microstructure Engineering through Heat Treatments

Heat Treatments of Aluminum

Alloys
Dr. Kaustubh Kulkarni
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Indian Ins@tute of Technology Kanpur
Kanpur, U.P. 2080216

Date: 21st October 2015

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 Heat treatments of Al-Alloys:
Age Hardening
•  Some Aluminum alloys undergo hardening aKer
exposing to an elevated temperature for a longer
@me
•  Age Hardening was accidentally discovered in
1901 by Dr. Alfred Wilm
•  The first age-hardenable alloy based on Al-Cu-
Mg-Mn, which was developed and patented by
Wilm is s@ll being used
•  DURALUMIN
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 T Age Hardening: HT Cycle

TSol
Water Quenching

Ta Air Cooling

RT t
Solu@onizing Ar@ficial Ageing

•  Solu@onizing: Hea@ng above solvus temperature for a few hours

•  Quenching: from the solu@onizing temperature
•  Ar@ficial Ageing: Hea@ng to an elevated temperature (above room
temperature but well below solvus temperature)
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 Age Hardening: Strength Evolu@on
Yield Strength (MPa) Peak strength Over-ageing

Ageing

As solu@onized strength

log (t)
•  Ageing: Strength increases with @me at Ta
•  Peak Strength: Maximum Strength obtainable during ageing
•  Over-ageing: Strength decreases with @me 4
 Thermodynamics of Age Hardening
Single Phase α
. . .
Solid Solu@on . ... . ..
α . .. ... ..
T .
Solu@onizing
Second Phase
Precipitates

TAgeing

Ceq C1 θ
Supersaturated
Solid Solu@on

•  Solu@onizing: Single phase α forms

•  Quenching: Metastable or Supersaturated Solid Solu@on forms
•  Ageing: Driving force for precipita@on of θ 5
G
Can θ Form Directly?

Q”

SSSS
θ”
θ’
θ

Reac@on Coordinate

•  Ac@va@on barrier for forma@on of θ” is lower than that of θ (i.e. Q”<Q)

•  Hence, θ” forma@on is favored over θ at the beginning of the precipita@on

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 What Cons@tutes Ac@va@on Barrier?
α/θ Interface
4πr2γ
α
θ

4/3πr3Gv
Cri@cal Radius 2γ
of Nuclea@on
r* =
GV hfp://www.wikiwand.com/en/Classical_nuclea@on_theory

•  Forma@on of new interface is associated with posi@ve interface energy

•  The surface to volume ra@o is high at the small size of nuclei
•  Nuclei are not stable below certain cri@cal size at a given temperature
•  Beyond the cri@cal size, surface to volume ra@o becomes small
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 How the barrier is reduced?
Region with Tensile Stresses

Compressively stressed region

Coherent interface: Semi-coherent Interface Incoherent Interface

–  Small lalce mismatch –  Larger lalce mismatch –  Very large mismatch
–  Lalce strained at the –  Strain relieved a bit by –  Atomic arrangement
interface misfit disloca@on disturbed causing large
interface energy

The age hardening precipitate has to be coherent or semi-coherent in nature

Equilibrium precipitates are usually incoherent and can not give much hardening

Figures borrowed from Prof. Anandh, IIT Kanpur 8

 Kine@cs of Precipita@on
Driving kT ⎛⎜ C ⎞⎟
Δg = ln
Force Vat ⎜⎝ Ceq ⎟⎠

Ac@va@on 16π γ 3
*
Energy for ΔG = ⋅
TSolu@onizing 3 Δg 2
Nuclea@on
Volume frac@on dictated
by Lever Rule

TAgeing Nuclea@on ⎛ − ΔG* ⎞ ⎛ −τ ⎞

*
Rate J = N 0 Zβ exp⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ exp⎜ ⎟
⎝ kT ⎠ ⎝ t ⎠
Ceq C1 C2
Higher Nuclea@on rate
means finer precipitates
∆g1

∆g2
•  Higher nuclea@on rates obtained at lower temperature
•  Growth is controlled by diffusion
•  Higher nuclea@on rate => Large amount of finer precipitates
•  Higher growth rate => Smaller amount of larger precipitates
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 Ageing at Various Temperatures
Figure 15. Time evolution of hardness for the peak-aged alloy 5 during reheating at v
temperatures.

•  Increasing ageing temperature enhance the

Figure 16. Ageing data for alloy 6061 for 5 ageing temperatures.

kine@cs but reduces the peak hardness

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 Criteria for Age Hardenability

•  Phase diagram with sloping solvus

•  Existence of a metastable or stable precipitate
that is coherent or semi-coherent with the
aluminum matrix
•  Solu@on temperature selected based upon solvus
temperature
•  Ageing temperature op@mized based upon peak
hardness required and ageing @me feasible
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 Some TEM micrographs of Age hardened Alloys

Rod shaped precipitates in AA6061 θ” Precipitated in an Al-Cu Alloy

•  Age hardening precipitated not resolved by op@cal

microscope or even SEM
•  The shape of the precipitates usually decided by its
orienta@on rela@onship with the matrix
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Al-Cu (Aluminum - Copper)
Some Age Hardening Systems: Al-Cu
J.L. Murray, 1985

Al-Cu phase diagram

•  Precipitate Sequence
Al-Cu crystallographic data
–  SSSS -> G.P. Zones -> θ” -> θ’ -> θ
Composition, Pearson Space 13
Phase wt% Cu symbol group
 Al-Li (Aluminum - Lithium)
Some Age Hardening Systems: Al-Li
A.J. McAlister, 1991

Al-Li phase diagram

•  Al3Li metastable precipitates form that are coeherent with matrix
Al-Li crystallographic data
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Composition, Pearson Space
 Issues with Cast Al Alloys

•  Cast Al-alloys can also be precipitate hardened but the response to

hardening not as good as in wrought alloys
•  Intermetallic precipitaes formed during solidificaiton do not
dissolve easily during solu@onizing
•  Heterogeneous nuclea@on of precipitates
–  Forma@on of non-hardening equilibrium precipitates favored
•  Heterogeneous microstructure affects the solu@onizing and ageing
kine@cs
–  Ageing response maybe different at surface and in the core in thick sec@ons
•  Incipient Mel@ng
–  Low mel@ng non-equilibrium phases formed during solidifica@on tend to melt if solu@on
temperature is high

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 Nomenclature of Al Alloys
•  1xxx => Pure Al
•  2xxx => Cu Heat Treatable
•  3xxx => Mn
•  4xxx => Si
•  5xxx => Mg
•  6xxx => Mg, Si Heat Treatable
•  7xxx => Zn Heat Treatable
•  8xxx => Other elements

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 Temper Designa@ons of Al Alloys
•  F => As fabricated
•  O => Annealed
•  H => Strain Hardened
•  W => Solu@on treated (usually stable for months or years)
•  T => Aged
–  T1 => Cooled and naturally aged
–  T2 => Cooled, cold worked and naturally aged
–  T3 => Solu@onized, coled worked and naturally aged
–  T4 => Solu@onized and naturally aged
–  T5 => Cooled from process and ar@ficially aged
–  T6 => Solu@onized and ar@ficially aged
–  T7 => Solu@onized and overaged
–  T8 => Solu@onized, cold worked and ar@ficially aged

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 Thank you

Any Ques@ons????

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