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It is well known that the development of lightweight alloys with improved comprehensive performance and application value are the future development directions for the ultra-high-strength 7xxx series Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys used in the aircraft field. As the lightest metal element in nature, lithium (Li) has outstanding advantages in reducing the density and increasing the elastic modulus in aluminum alloys, so Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys containing Li have gained widespread attention. Furthermore, since the Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy is usually strengthened by aging treatment, it is crucial to understand how Li addition affects its aging precipitation process. As such, in this article, the effects and mechanism of Li on the aging precipitation behavior and the impact of Li content on the aging precipitation phase of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys are briefly reviewed, and the influence of Li on the service properties, including mechanical properties, wear resistance, and fatigue resistance, of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys are explained. In addition, the corresponding development prospects and challenges of the Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Li alloy are also proposed. This review is helpful to further understand the role of Li in Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys and provides a reference for the development of high-strength aluminum alloys containing Li with good comprehensive properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overall microstructure-manipulated Al-13Si-5Cu-0.6 Mg alloy was successfully fabricated via introducing 0.1 wt% Zr 55 Cu 30 Al 10 Ni 5 amorphous alloy manipulator with short time of 60 s, to determine its suitability for applications at room and higher temperatures. The microstructure manipulation mechanism, mechanical properties and strengthening mechanism in manipulated Al-13Si-5Cu-0.6 Mg alloy were discussed. The Zr 55 Cu 30 Al 10 Ni 5 amorphous alloy manipulator provides more nucleation sites in the formation of primary Si, Al Si eutectic and Al 2 Cu. As a result, the optimal microstructure is composed of finer α-Al grains, Al 2 Cu and more rounded primary and eutectic Si, with sizes decreased to ∼52%, 13%, 73% and 42%, respectively. The yield strength, tensile strength, elongation and fracture strain of manipulated Al-13Si-5Cu-0.6 Mg alloy are improved by 22.9%, 16.8%, 58.2% and 47.7% at room temperature than those of the unmanipulated Al-13Si-5Cu-0.6 Mg alloy, respectively. The improved tensile properties at room temperature are attributed to the significant strengthening effect of smaller precipitates and grain refinement while the excellent plasticity is derived from finer α-Al grain, round-corner primary Si and eutectic Si spheroidization. The yield strength and tensile strength are increased by 28.1% and 15.3% at 250 °C, and 28.3% and 10.8% at 300 °C, respectively. The strengthening mechanism at high temperature is mainly the second phase strengthening and the effect of finer eutectic Si on the pinning grain boundary. The overall microstructure manipulation in this work provides better comprehensive mechanical properties and a practicable method to fabricate the Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloy with superior strength and ductility, especially for die-casting alloy with short-time and high-efficiency. [Display omitted] • Fully microstructure-manipulated alloy was made via adding trace nanoparticles. • Nanosized ZrCu(B2) and Zr 2 Cu have ideal lattice mismatch with Si, α-Al and Al 2 Cu. • The sizes of primary Si, α-Al, eutectic Si and Al 2 Cu decreased simultaneously. • The tensile strength and elongation of manipulated alloy are greatly improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insufficient performance, especially at high temperatures, limits the extensive application of cast Al–Cu alloys. This study proposes a novel method of direct reaction synthesis (DRS) for the simultaneous synthesis and dispersion of hybrid-sized in situ TiC–TiB 2 particles in the melt to prepare a trace-particle-reinforced high-performance cast Al–Cu 5.5 –Mn 0.45 –Ti 0.3 –V 0.3 –Cr 0.2 –Zr 0.14 –B 0.04 alloy. The particulate-reinforced alloy achieved strength–ductility synergetic enhancement at room and high temperatures. In comparison to the Al–Cu matrix alloy, the yield strength of 0.7 wt% (TiC–TiB 2)/Al–Cu alloy at 298 K (529 MPa), 493 K (214 MPa), and 533 K (183 MPa) had an increase of 28%, 18% and 35%, meanwhile their elongation increased by 4%, 50% and 62%, respectively. The yield strength enhancement primarily benefited from the thermal mismatch between the particles and matrix, and Orowan strengthening. The strength–ductility performance improvement is due to the optimization of the microstructure: significantly refined α-Al grains with smaller and more dispersed θʹ precipitates. Further, the improvement mechanism of the microstructure is due to the action of the nanoparticles on the heterogeneous nucleation stimulation and dendrite growth inhibition of α-Al during the solidification process. Meanwhile, the segregation of the Cu atoms was inhibited by the particles. The precipitation was significantly promoted because of more uniformly distributed Cu atoms, and more defects induced by particles improved diffusion of the Cu atoms the number and density of the precipitation sites. The results of this study provide an economical and accessible synthesis strategy for industrial manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adding alloying elements to increase precipitation is a common method to strengthen aluminum (Al) alloys, but an excessively high alloying element content causes segregation and a reduction in plasticity. In this work, the tradeoff between alloying element content and segregation was explored along with the simultaneous increase in precipitation and dislocation density under the action of trace TiB 2 +TiC particles with the aim of giving a full play to the strengthening effect of dislocation and precipitation and maximizing the strength and toughness of the alloy. The cast Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloys contained various alloying elements (Zn, Mg), and the alloys were reinforced with 0.5 wt% TiB 2 +TiC particles via in-situ reaction in the Al melt. The TiB 2 +TiC particles blocked the diffusion of the alloying elements and inhibited segregation, promoting solution of alloying elements and yielding dispersed and finer precipitates after solution and aging. Meanwhile, owing to the difference in the thermal expansion coefficients of the matrix and particles, the dislocation density of the alloy doubled. Therefore, the yield strength, elongation, and the product of the tensile strength and elongation of the Al-6.60Zn-3.15Mg-1.60Cu alloy with particles reinforcement were 562 MPa, 4.5%, and 3163 MPa·%, respectively, representing increases of 31.6%, 108.9%, and 186.0%, respectively, compared with the cast 7075 alloy. This study is significant for the successful preparation of high-strength and high-toughness cast aluminum alloys with high alloying-element content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is challenging to concurrently control the microstructure evolutions after undergoing casting, sheet forming and welding. This study successfully addressed this challenge via trace TiC–TiB 2 nanoparticles in the amelioration of solidification-rolling-welding microstructural evolution. Nanoparticles refined the solidified microstructures and significantly increased the net driving force for recrystallization, promoting the precipitation of nanoscale Guinier–Preston zones and β'' phases. The coarsening of the fusion and heat-affected zones was also effectively suppressed. The yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the rolled plates were enhanced by 31.3% and 16.3%, respectively, without significantly sacrificing ductility. Additionally, the YS and UTS of the as-welded welding joints were enhanced by 30.2% and 7.8%, respectively. The amelioration mechanism of TiC–TiB 2 throughout the microstructural evolution and strengthening process was systematically investigated. This study provides a typical model for the complete amelioration of microstructural evolution in aluminum alloys under multiple processing conditions. • The nucleation of solidified phases is promoted, and their growth is hindered. • Recrystallization and formation of coherent nanoscale precipitates are promoted. • Coarsening of fusion zone and heat affected zone is suppressed. • Building better microstructure configuration for improved properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]