Characterization and modeling of the influence of artificial aging on the microstructural evolution of age-hardenable AlSi10Mg(Cu) aluminum alloys

A comprehensive analysis of the effect of the artificial aging on the Mg2Si precipitation distribution of the age-hardenable AlSi10Mg(Cu) aluminum alloy from T6 to T7 condition is presented considering the influence of temperature and time of the aging conditions. A complete quantitative characterization of the strengthening distributions covering a broad range of aging conditions was obtained using the small angle neutron scattering (SANS) technique, complemented with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HTEM). This information was successfully used to fit Robson׳s precipitation model for the prediction of the precipitation distribution as a function of time and temperature. Based on the measured precipitation behavior a sigmoidal function of the interfacial energy was added to Robson׳s model. As a result a unique set of modeling parameters was obtained for the whole precipitation process and range of temperatures considered. Robson׳s model is shown to be a powerful tool for predicting the evolution of these nanometer-scale particles in industrial and complex aging processes, which are critical for designing new components based on the material requirements.