Effects of single- and multi-stage solid solution treatments on microstructure and properties of as-extruded AA7055 helical profile

Abstract

The effects of single-stage solution treatment (SST), enhanced solution treatment (EST), high-temperature pre-precipitation (HTPP) and multi-stage solution treatment (MST) on the microstructure, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of the as-extruded 7055 aluminium alloy (AA7055) helical profile were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was observed that EST and MST could promote the dissolution of the second-phase particles compared with the traditional SST, and the intergranular phases were distinctly discontinuously distributed after HTPP and MST. There was obvious difference in the main texture type and texture strength for the alloy after different solid solution treatments. HTPP could improve the corrosion resistance of the alloy by regulating the intergranular phases, but the mechanical properties were severely weakened. While the good corrosion resistance of the alloy could be obtained by MST without obvious strength loss. As a result, the MST is an ideal solid solution treatment scheme for AA7055.