Heat Treatment of Metals ›› 2024, Vol. 49 ›› Issue (11): 224-230.DOI: 10.13251/j.issn.0254-6051.2024.11.034

• PROCESS RESEARCH • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effect of aging precipitation on fatigue property of Al-Cu-Li alloy

Liu Meng1,2, Tao Xiaoyu1, Li Kaifang1, Li Huan1, Chen Yu1, Bai Song2, Liu Zhiyi2   

  1. 1. School of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Pingxiang University, Pingxiang Jiangxi 337055, China;
    2. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha Hunan 410083, China
  • Received:2024-05-22 Revised:2024-09-04 Online:2024-11-25 Published:2025-01-09

Abstract: Microstructure and mechanical properties of the Al-Cu-Li alloy aged at 143 ℃ for different time were studied by means of tensile test, fatigue crack propagation rate test, scanning electron microscope(SEM) and transmission electron microscope(TEM). The results show that the strength of the alloy increases rapidly and shows a strong aging response when aged for 25-35 h, while the strength increases slightly and reaches a peak when aged for 65 h. The main precipitates of the Al-Cu-Li alloy after aging at 143 ℃ for 25, 35 and 65 h are T1 phase. After aging for 25 h, T1 phases precipitate with fine size, accompanying with precipitation of small amounts of δ′ phase. The alloy aged for 25 h shows a low fatigue crack growth (FCG) rate because the movable dislocations can cut through precipitated phases and undergo reversible slip, increasing fatigue crack deflection and crack closure effects, showing higher crack propagation resistance. With the increase of aging time, the size and number density of T1 phase increase, and the FCG rate increases. After aging for 65 h, the size of T1 phase greatly increases, the moving dislocation can only bypass these large phase, resulting in stress concentration, thus the FCG rate increases obviously, the fatigue property of the alloy is the worst.

Key words: Al-Cu-Li alloy, fatigue crack propagation, T1 phase, aging

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