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The microstructure and performance homogeneity of 80 mm thick ultra-wide 7B50-T7751 plate with different widths and thicknesses were studied by means of mechanical testing machine and scanning electron microscope, and the fatigue properties were compared and discussed with 7050-T7451 plate. The results show that the ultra-wide 7B50-T7751 plate has excellent mechanical properties. In L and LT directions, the tensile yield strength of 1/2 thickness reaches up to 568 MPa and 545 MPa, and the tensile strength reaches up to 612 MPa and 591 MPa, the compressive yield strength reaches up to 575 MPa and 587 MPa, the fracture toughness in L-T direction and T-L direction reaches 30.16 MPa·m1/2 and 26.47 MPa·m1/2, respectively. The ultra-wide thick plate exhibits certain anisotropy at different width positions, the performance homogeneity in LT direction tends to be better than in L direction. Performance at different width positions with 1/4 thickness shows little difference, while the performance at the edge of 1/2 thickness is better than that of the center. No obvious texture exhibits at 1/4 thickness, however, the main textures at the center of 1/2 thickness are S texture and Brass texture, and the main textures at the edge are R texture, S texture and Brass texture. When the stress ratio is 0.06, the T-L anti-fatigue crack growth rate performance of ultra-wide 7B50-T7751 thick plate is better than 7050-T7451 plate with the same thickness. The fatigue limit of LT smooth sample (Kt=1) is about 7.6% inferior than that of 7050-T7451 plate, while the fatigue limit of notch sample (Kt=3) is about 3.7% higher.

The single-stage & two-stage solution and the single aging-tensile property curves at 110-135 ℃ were studied by using the 7A36 aluminum alloy extruded tube of ϕ250 mm×20 mm and ϕ340 mm×30 mm under industrial production conditions. The optimal heat treatment was adopted to compare the tensile properties of two kinds of aluminum alloy extruded tube.The phase transition temperature was measured by DSC, and the microstructure and tensile fracture were observed by OM, SEM and TEM.The results show that the tensile strength, yield strength and elongation of 7A36 alloy extruded tube can reach 696, 655 MPa and 14.0%, respectively, under the optimal heat treatment. Compared with the process of direct chill casting (DC) ingot & extrusion with high extrusion ratio, the size of grain and precipitated phase is smaller, the width of precipitation free zone is narrower under the process of forging ingot & conventional extrusion, which significantly affects the strength.At the same time, the alloy shows high quenching sensitivity. During solution treatment, quenching micro-cracks are easily induced near Fe-rich phase, which significantly affects the elongation of alloy extruded tube.

In this study, the influence of Er addition on the microstructure, type transformation of second phases, and corrosion resistance of an Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy were explored. The results revealed that the added Er element could significantly refine the alloy grains and change the second-phase composition at the grain boundary of the alloy. In the as-cast state, the Er element significantly enhanced the corrosion resistance of the alloy due to its refining effect on the grains and second phases at the grain boundary. The addition of the alloying element Er to the investigated alloy changed the type of corrosion attack on the alloy's surface. In the presence of Er, the dominant type of corrosion attack is pitting corrosion, while the alloy without Er is prone to intergranular corrosion attack. After a solution treatment, the Al8Cu4Er phase was formed, in which the interaction with the Cu element and the competitive growth relation to the Al3Er phase were the key factors influencing the corrosion resistance of the alloy. The anodic corrosion mechanism of the Al8Cu4Er and Al3Er phases evidently lowered the alloy corrosion rate, and the depth of the corrosion pit declined from 197 μm to 155 μm; however, further improvement of corrosion resistance was restricted by the morphology and size of the Al8Cu4Er phase after its formation and growth; therefore, adjusting the matching design of the Cu and Er elements can allow Er to improve the corrosion resistance of the Al–Zn–Mg–Cu aluminum alloy to the greatest extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new generation of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy, 7085 aluminum alloy is a promising structural material in the field of aerospace industry. However, research on its thermal stability is still lacking. In the present work, thermal exposure was carried out on the T7452-treated 7085 aluminum alloy under different temperatures (100 °C, 125 °C, 150 °C and 175 °C) for 500 h. Variations of tensile properties and hardness were exhibited. The microstructure, nano-scale precipitates and fracture characteristics of the alloy were investigated using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that with the increase of exposure temperature, the strength and hardness increase first and then decrease while the elongation and the reduction of area increase continuously as compared to those of the non-thermal exposed alloy. The transformation from η′ phase to η phase during thermal exposure occurs continuously during thermal exposure. In addition, as the exposure temperature increases, the average dimensions of precipitates and the average spacing of neighbor precipitates become larger. The influence of precipitates on mechanical properties of the alloy is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]