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Title: Processing and microstructural characterization of Al-Cu alloys produced from rapidly solidified powders

Journal Article · · Metallurgical and Materials Transactions. A, Physical Metallurgy and Materials Science

This paper concerns the processing of Al-Cu alloys via a novel powder-metallurgy route. The specific technique used for powder processing involves the rapid solidification of coarse, molten droplets following impulse atomization. This produces a fine, homogeneous, dendritic microstructure within the alloy granules. Following consolidation via hot pressing, the microstructure consists mostly of an Al matrix with fine CuAl{sub 2} particles and partially recrystallized dendrites. Further heat treatment and/or thermomechanical processing completes the spheroidization process in the CuAl{sub 2} phase. Blending powders with different Cu has been used to make materials with a bimodal distribution of the local particle-volume-fraction content. The high temperature (773 K) strength of these materials decreases with increasing CuAl{sub 2} content. This can be explained using a flow model based on superplastic deformation, controlled by diffusion-accommodated sliding at Al grain boundaries. This mechanism may also explain the deformation-enhanced particle coarsening observed during channel-die forging operations.

Research Organization:
McMaster Univ., Chalk River, Ontario (CA)
OSTI ID:
20014060
Journal Information:
Metallurgical and Materials Transactions. A, Physical Metallurgy and Materials Science, Vol. 31, Issue 1; Other Information: PBD: Jan 2000; ISSN 1073-5623
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English