ABSTRACT We report on a study of the influence of aging pathways on the evolution of solute-rich features in peak-aged Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloys. The concentration and partitioning ratios of Mg, Si… Click to show full abstract
ABSTRACT We report on a study of the influence of aging pathways on the evolution of solute-rich features in peak-aged Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloys. The concentration and partitioning ratios of Mg, Si and Cu and Mg/Si ratios in the heterogeneous solute-rich features all increase with increasing size, with Si exhibiting the highest partitioning ratio, but notably these ratios change dramatically depending on the aging pathway selected. Accordingly, the short-time age hardening response can be enhanced by promoting both homogeneous and heterogeneous precipitate nucleation, while simultaneous improvements in peak-aged strength and elongation can be attained by a vacancy-assisted aging pathway.
               
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