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Investigation on the Effect of Retrogression and Re-aging on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of 2024 Aluminum Alloys

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Abstract

In the current study, a new artificial aging process, Retrogression and re-aging (RRA), which is a multi-step precipitation hardening, was utilized to investigate its effect on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al2024 alloys and compare the results with conventional T6. The microstructural evolution during heat treatment was studied by SEM and TEM, and tension test and hardness test were used to investigate the mechanical properties of specimens. The results showed that RRA process has improved the mechanical properties of Al2024 in comparison with T6. Yield stress, UTS, elongations and brinell hardness in RRA samples are higher than T6. The microstructural investigation revealed that during RRA, more secondary particles solute in matrix and more and finer S and θ phase precipitate. It was also observed that in RRA samples, S and θ phases have better distribution in Al matrix.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Scientific Research Project of Hunan Provincial Department of Education (design and analysis of assembled frictional energy dissipation composite wallboard 20C0850); Yongzhou Guided Science and Technology Project (research on key technologies for BIM-based modular structure design and construction 2019-yzkj-17); National Natural Science Foundation of China in No. 51808247; Huaiyin Institute of Technology Laboratory Open Fund in No. JSZP201902; The Natural Science Foundation of the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions of China in No. 18KJB560003.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hunan University of Science and Engineering, Yongzhou, 425199, People’s Republic of China

    Enping Guo

  2. Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huaian, 223001, People’s Republic of China

    Yanan Gao, Qianying Zhu & Baoliang Li

  3. The First Construction Engineering Company Ltd. of China Construction Second Engineering Bureau, Beijing, 100176, People’s Republic of China

    Taoping Ye

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  1. Enping Guo
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Correspondence to Yanan Gao.

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Guo, E., Gao, Y., Ye, T. et al. Investigation on the Effect of Retrogression and Re-aging on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of 2024 Aluminum Alloys. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 32, 728–734 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-022-07141-4

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