Microstructural Evolution and Hardness Responses of 7050 Al Alloy during Processing

The thermal-mechanical process (TMP) plays an important role in the industrial production of 7050 Al alloys for aircraft components. In this work, the microstructural evolution and influence on hardness of a 7050 alloy ingot, during the process from preheating, deformation and cooling to final heat treatment, have been investigated considering the effect of temperature and the post-deformation cooling path. The results showed that an increasing temperature and decreasing cooling rate during TMP can lead to enhanced hardness of the alloy after heat treatment. Moreover, the variation of recrystallization before and after heat treatment was strongly dependent on the cooling path after deformation. Finally, this study provided a general understanding on the relationship between microstructural evolution and harness of the 7050 alloy.