Towards micro- and nanostructured AlZnCu alloys cast from commercial-purity metals

• Published in: Journal of alloys and compounds Vol. 801; pp. 229 - 233
• Main Authors: Krajewski, P.K., Rogal, L., Faryna, M., Greer, A.L., Krajewski, W.K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 15.09.2019; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Alloys; Aluminum; Aluminum base alloys; AlZnCu-based alloys; Casting; Copper; Copper base alloys; Electron backscatter diffraction; Grain refinement; Light diffraction; Manganese; Master alloys; Micrometers; Microscopy; Microstructure; SEM/EBSD; Titanium; Zinc base alloys; Casting; SEM/EBSD; AlZnCu-based alloys; Grain refinement
• ISSN: 0925-8388; 1873-4669
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2019.06.040

Structural and composition modification of high-zinc aluminum alloys refines their microstructural scale from a few millimeters to a few micrometers. In a series of studies, high-aluminum Al–30Zn alloys were doped with (2–20) wt.% Cu, 1 wt% Mn and small (∼100 ppm) Ti addition. The alloys’ microstructure has been studied using SEM/EBSD (scanning electron microscopy/electron backscatter diffraction) and LM (light microscopy) techniques. A small addition of Ti introduced with Al-3 wt.% Ti-0.15 wt% C (TiCAl) master alloy decreases the grain diameter in the high-aluminum zinc alloys from 1500–2000 μm to 100–200 μm. The high-zinc, high-copper alloy (Al–30Zn–20Cu) cast into a steel mold shows microstructure refinement to 2–5 μm. The observed refinement should improve the ductility of the examined alloys while preserving other properties discussed in the paper. •Aluminum–Zinc–Copper based alloys for shape castings.•Grain refinement aimed at improving alloys ductility.•Dimensional instability of the copper containing Al–Zn alloys.•Metal mold castings of highly refined structure.•Novel refiners based on the Zn–Ti system.