This study investigates the synergistic effects of combined additions of Cr-Zr and Mn-Zr on the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of Al-6wt.%Cu alloys to overcome the degradation of mechanical properties at high temperatures. The all...
This study investigates the synergistic effects of combined additions of Cr-Zr and Mn-Zr on the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of Al-6wt.%Cu alloys to overcome the degradation of mechanical properties at high temperatures. The alloys were designed with solute concentrations below, near, and above their maximum solubility limits and were evaluated under As-cast, T4 (solution treatment followed by natural aging), and T6 (solution treatment followed by artificial aging) conditions. Mechanical testing revealed distinct behaviors depending on the heat treatment conditions. The T4 condition generally exhibited superior hardness and yield strength. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated that this high strength in the T4 condition is attributed to lattice distortion caused by supersaturated solute atoms and a decrease in dislocation density. Conversely, the T6 aging treatment led to lattice relaxation similar to pure aluminum but induced a re-accumulation of dislocation density and micro-strain due to coherency strain fields around the precipitates, which effectively hindered dislocation movement. Notably, the Mn-Zr added alloys (MZ series) demonstrated a better balance of strength and ductility compared to the Cr-Zr added alloys (CZ series). Among them, the 4MZ alloy under the T6 condition was identified as the optimal processing route, exhibiting the best balance of properties with a yield strength of 250.5MPa and an elongation of 27.4%. This study aims to provide a guideline for balancing strengthening contributions in transition metal-doped Al-Cu alloys by establishing fundamental data on the correlation between microstructural factors and mechanical behavior, rather than suggesting a single definitive condition. Keywords : Al-Cu alloy, Heat treatment, Mechanical property, Solubility threshold