Performance of Aluminum Alloy Aging Process

If the quenched aluminum alloy is placed at room temperature or a certain temperature for a certain period of time, the supersaturated solid solution will decompose and change, greatly improving the strength and hardness of the aluminum alloy. This heat treatment is called aging.
Aging is the second stage of the heat treatment strengthening process, and the supersaturated solid solution is formed by quenching. The dispersed phase is precipitated through aging to achieve the purpose of strengthening the matrix. The

supersaturated solid solution obtained by quenching is an unstable structure, which will decompose and transform into an equilibrium structure when heated.
Aging is another important stage of aluminum alloy heat treatment Aluminum alloy is different from steel. The purpose of strengthening aluminum alloy cannot be achieved only in the quenching state. The strength of the aluminum alloy just quenched is slightly higher than that of the annealing state, but the elongation is quite high. In this case, finishing and straightening processes can be carried out.
However, the supersaturated solid solution obtained by quenching is unstable at room temperature and has a spontaneous trend of decomposition and precipitation to a stable state.

The aging behavior of different aluminum alloys is also different.
2a12 aluminum alloy usually completes the strengthening process by being stored at room temperature for a certain period of time. This aging process at room temperature is called natural aging. It takes a long time to strengthen
7a04 aluminum alloy at room temperature. If it is heated to a certain temperature and kept for a certain time, the strengthening process can be completed. This heat treatment process of maintaining a certain temperature above room temperature for a certain time to improve its mechanical properties is called artificial aging. During
the aging process of aluminum alloy, the change process and mechanism of its organization are very complex.