Subsequent Artificial Aging Research Articles

Precipitation behaviors and the related strengthening mechanism in 2219 Al alloy fabricated by wire arc additive manufacturing

Normally, a large number of dislocations could be introduced into the metallic component in the additive manufacturing process. The effects of these thermal stress-induced dislocations on the precipitation of 2219 Al alloy have thus far not been comprehensively studied. In the present study, the precipitation behaviors of 2219 Al alloys fabricated by wire arc additive manufacturing are investigated in detail by multi-scale experimental methods, including transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analyses. Our study suggests that the stress-induced dislocations could act as the heterogenous nucleation sites, facilitating the precipitation of θ′ and θ′′ phases in the deposition process. During the subsequent artificial aging, θ′ and θ′′ phases are present in the 160°C peak-aged sample. Raising the aging temperature from 160°C to 180°C could facilitate the transformation of θ′′ to θ′ phases. Moreover, for the 200°C peak-aged sample, the number density of θ′ phases appears to decrease with accompanied coarsening. An evident improvement occurs in the comprehensive mechanical properties of the as-deposited sample by appropriate heat treatment (540℃/3 h-180℃/14 h). The ultimate tensile strength significantly increases from 238 MPa to 408 MPa, exhibiting an enhancement of approximately 70 %, while the elongation increases from 14 % to 15 %. Additionally, a quantitative correlation is established between the precipitate characteristics and mechanical properties.

Effect of Deep Cryogenic Treatment on the Artificial Aging Behavior of 6082 Aluminum Alloy

This study investigates the impact of cryogenic treatment duration on the mechanical properties and microstructural evolution of 6082 aluminum alloy subjected to subsequent artificial aging. Tensile tests were conducted using an electronic universal testing machine, and the microstructure was characterized by employing optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results indicate that both the tensile strength and elongation of the alloy first increase and then decrease with the extension of cryogenic treatment duration. The alloy treated with 12 h of cryogenic treatment followed by artificial aging at 180 °C for 8 h achieved a peak strength of 390 MPa. Meanwhile, the alloy treated with 8 h of cryogenic treatment and the same artificial aging process reached a maximum elongation of 13%. All specimens of 6082 aluminum alloy subjected to cryogenic and aging treatments exhibited ductile fracture under room temperature tensile conditions. The size of dimples at the fracture surface first increased and then decreased with increasing cryogenic treatment duration, indicating a transition from deeper to shallower dimples. The cryogenic treatment did not significantly affect the grain size of the alloy, which remained approximately 230 µm on average. Cryogenic treatment facilitated the precipitation of fine, densely distributed precipitates, enhancing the pinning effect of dislocations and thus improving the tensile strength. Additionally, cryogenic treatment increased the dislocation density and promoted the formation of subgrains, while the grain boundary precipitates transitioned from a continuous to a discontinuous distribution, all of which contribute to the enhancement of the plasticity.

Effect of post-weld heat treatment on the microstructure, phase composition and mechanical properties of dissimilar Al-Mg-Li/Al-Cu-Li laser welded joints

Butt joints of the V-1461 and 1424 heat treated aluminum–lithium alloys of the third generation were welded with a CO2 laser and studied in detail for the first time. In particular, spatial distributions of the formed phases and their evolution upon post-weld heat treatment (PWHT), determining the mechanical properties of the joints, were investigated. The PWHT included quenching and subsequent artificial aging. The key factors, affecting the metallurgical processes in a weld pool, were the following: 1) the alloying elements and the thermal properties of the alloys, 2) the dynamics of the local non-equilibrium melting, the convective transfer of the molten metal in the weld pool and its subsequent solidification, 3) the cooling rate, and 4) the PWHT procedure. By using synchrotron radiation and scanning electron microscopy, new θ(Al2Cu), T1(Al2CuLi) and S1(Al2MgLi) phases were found in the weld metal that were absent in both base metals. This phenomenon reduced the mechanical properties of the joints to the levels, corresponding to about 50 % of the 1424 alloy as the weakest one. Quenching contributed to the formation of the δ′(Al3Li) strengthening phase in the weld metal. As a result, the ultimate tensile strength increased up to 70 % and elongation up to 95 % of the corresponding levels of the 1424 alloy. Artificial aging made it possible to form the T1(Al2CuLi) strengthening phase, to increase the content of the δ′(Al3Li) one, as well as to improve the mechanical properties of the joint. In this case, the ultimate tensile strength was 411 MPa, the yield point was 327 MPa and elongation was 1.7 %. These values were close to those for the 1424 alloy (about 80 %, 89 % and 23 %, respectively).

Effect of Sc addition on downstream processing of twin-roll cast Al−Cu−Li−Mg−Zr-based alloys

A processing scheme for preparing strips of Al−Cu−Li−Mg−Zr-based alloys microalloyed with Sc was proposed. This scheme includes a twin-roll casting of strips with a near-net-shaped 3 mm-thick gauge and a homogenization/solution treatment processing step. Two twin-roll cast Al−Cu−Li−Mg−Zr-based alloys were studied, one with an addition of 0.17 wt.% Sc, and the other without addition of Sc. Both alloys were annealed at 300 °C for 30 min, 450 °C for 30 min, and 530 °C for 30 min and quenched into room temperature water. The first two annealing steps provide a fine dispersion of Al3Zr/Al3(Sc,Zr) particles. The final annealing step serves as homogenization/solution treatment. A fine crystallization structure of the twin-roll cast materials enables the dissolution of primary particles containing the main alloying elements during a relatively short annealing time. Shorter soaking duration limits the depletion of surface layers from Li and significant coarsening of Al3Zr/Al3(Sc,Zr) dispersoids. The Sc-containing material has significantly finer grains already in the as-cast state. The Al3(Sc,Zr) dispersoids formed during the homogenization/solution treatment step prevent grain coarsening at high temperatures. Strengthening θ′(Al2Cu), T1(Al2CuLi), and rare S’(Al2CuMg) phases are formed during subsequent artificial aging at 180 °C. The increase in yield strength was 200 MPa in the peak-aged conditions. This value is comparable to the ones reported in similar direct-chill cast materials, thus validating the proposed processing scheme.

Influence of a Preageing Treatment on the Cluster Formation and the Further Ageing Route in Al–Mg–Si Extrusion Alloys

Herein, the influence of one‐ and two‐step preageing treatments prior to the artificial ageing step to peak age condition for three different 6xxx alloys, from low to high alloy content, is investigated. Analysis of the preaged conditions using atom probe tomography (APT) reveals a broad distribution of Mg and Si clusters, with some instances of Guinier‐Preston I zones present. Additionally, the high alloyed system exhibits a growth of precipitates toward a needle‐like shaped. These clusters formed during the preageing treatment serve as nucleation sites in the subsequent artificial ageing treatment, leading to an increase in hardness. Microstructural analysis conducted using transmission electron microscopy and APT demonstrates a reduction in the average precipitate length and a more narrow size distribution for T6 condition. This indicates that the preageing treatment results in a decreased portion of already overaged precipitates compared to the direct aged condition. Consequently, the more narrow size distribution of the precipitates leads to more effective hardening of the material, as a higher portion of precipitates is at or close to their optimum size. The investigations highlight the significant influence and positive effect of a preageing treatment at lower temperatures on the subsequent artificial ageing treatment.

Abrasion Wear Resistance of Precipitation-Hardened Al-Zn-Mg Alloy.

The heat treatment of aluminum alloys is very important in industries where low weight in combination with high wear resistance, good strength, and hardness are important. However, depending on their chemical composition, aluminum alloys are subjected to different mechanical and thermal treatments to achieve the most favorable properties. In this study, an Al-Zn-Mg alloy was heat-treated including solution annealing at 490 °C for 1 h with subsequent artificial aging at 130, 160, and 190 °C for 1, 5, and 9 h. The hardness (HV1) and abrasive wear resistance with three different abrasive grain sizes were measured for all samples. The highest hardness was measured for the samples artificially aged at 130 °C/5 h, 227 HV1, while the lowest hardness was measured for the samples aged at 190 °C/9 h. The highest and the lowest wear resistance was also observed for the same state, i.e., artificially aged at 130 °C/5 h and 190 °C/9 h, respectively. The critical abrasive grain size was detected for some samples, where a decrease in wear rate was observed with an increase in the abrasive grain size from the medium value to the largest. The Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was applied to demonstrate the influence of the input parameters on the material wear rate.

Quercetin and Rutin as Tools to Enhance Antioxidant Profiles and Post-Priming Seed Storability in Medicago truncatula

Seed priming is routinely applied to improve germination rates and seedling establishment, but the decrease in longevity observed in primed seeds constitutes a major drawback that compromises long-term storability. The optimization of priming protocols able to preserve primed seeds from aging processes represents a promising route to expand the scope of seed priming. The present work explores this possibility in the model legume Medicago truncatula by testing the effectiveness of quercetin- and rutin-supplemented seed priming at improving the response to subsequent artificial aging. In comparison with a non-supplemented hydropriming protocol, supplementation with quercetin or rutin was able to mitigate the effects of post-priming aging by increasing germination percentage and speed, improving seed viability and seedling phenotype, with consistent correlations with a decrease in the levels of reactive oxygen species and an increase in antioxidant potential. The results suggest that quercetin and rutin can reduce the effects of post-priming aging by improving the seed antioxidant profiles. The present work provides novel information to explore the physiological changes associated with seed priming and aging, with possible outcomes for the development of tailored vigorization protocols able to overcome the storability constrains associated with post-priming aging processes.

Precipitation behavior of γ′ phase with a multi-model morphology in the Ni-based superalloy GH4720Li during water quenching and subsequent artificial aging and related mechanisms

The microstructure evolution of the γ′ precipitates in GH4720Li superalloy during the heat treatment processes of water quenching and subsequent aging at temperatures of 760 °C, 800 °C, and 850 °C was investigated with particular emphasis on the variation in the morphology, size, and size distribution of the precipitates and related mechanisms. Influence of aging temperature and time on the nucleation, growth, and coarsening behavior of the bimodal dispersion of secondary and tertiary γ′ precipitates were discussed. Results showed that only spherical-shaped secondary γ′ precipitates with sizes ranging from 10 to 50 nm formed during the cooling process of quenching. During aging, the nucleation of tertiary γ′ precipitate, growth of both secondary and tertiary γ′ precipitates follow the typical solid-diffusion-assisted precipitation mechanism, while the abnormal coarsening of the secondary precipitates occurs through coalescing adjacent particles. Aging temperature has a less effect on the precipitation of the tertiary γ′ precipitate but substantially influences the coarsening of the secondary γ′ precipitates. At higher aging temperatures such as 850 °C, the abnormal coarsening of the secondary γ′ precipitates, which always takes place at 760 °C and 800 °C, are significantly suppressed. The aging time mainly influences the growth rate of the secondary γ′ but shows little effect on the evolution of the tertiary γ′ phase. Precipitates strengthen the alloy through strong coupling interaction mechanism. An optimal aging strategy heating at 850 °C for 8 h is proposed for the GH4720Li superalloy, yielding the best uniform dispersion of the precipitates, maximum hardness of the sample, and being considered time and energy-saving.

Natural aging and vacancy trapping in Al-6xxx

Undesirable natural aging (NA) in Al-6xxx delays subsequent artificial aging (AA) but the size, composition, and evolution of clustering are challenging to measure. Here, atomistic details of early-stage clustering in Al–1%Mg–0.6%Si during NA are studied computationally using a chemically-accurate neural-network potential. Feasible growth paths for the preferred beta '' precipitates identify: dominant clusters differing from beta '' motifs; spontaneous vacancy-interstitial formation creating 14–18 solute atom beta ''-like motifs; and lower-energy clusters requiring chemical re-arrangement to form beta '' nuclei. Quasi-on-lattice kinetic Monte Carlo simulations reveal that 8–14 solute atom clusters form within 1000 s but that growth slows considerably due to vacancy trapping inside clusters, with trapping energies of 0.3-0.5 eV. These findings rationalize why cluster growth and alloy hardness saturate during NA, confirm the concept of “vacancy prisons”, and suggest why clusters must be dissolved during AA before formation of beta ''. This atomistic understanding of NA may enable design of strategies to mitigate negative effects of NA.Graphical abstractEnergy and RMS vacancy displacement vs simulation time for three different kMC simulations of Al matrix containing Mg (green) and Si atoms(orange), and 1 vacancy (pink). Geometries extracted from the third trajectory at four different times show solute clustering and vacancy trapping.

The influence of natural aging on the precipitation behavior of the low-alloy content Al-Zn-Mg aluminum alloys during subsequent artificial aging and related mechanisms

The age hardening and precipitation behavior of the low-alloy content and widely used Al-Zn-Mg alloy during artificial aging was studied adopting methods of Vickers hardness testing and transmission electron microscopy. To meet with practical application of the production line conditions, the influence of natural aging (NA, at room temperature) on the precipitation behavior during subsequent artificial aging (AA, at 130 °C∼150 °C) and related mechanisms are discussed based on the classical nucleation theory. The results show that precipitates like solute clusters and GP zones will form during the NA process, which have a significant influence on the subsequent precipitation behavior during AA. These NA precipitates will dissolve at the initial stage of AA resulting in abundant localized supersaturated regions which are the favorable nucleation sites for η′ phase. This positive effect is highly dependent on the temperature adopted during the AA process and the duration of NA. Higher AA temperatures result in a more noticeable increase in hardness compared to the samples without NA but require a longer duration of AA to achieve a relatively high and stable peak-aging hardness. However, an excessive long NA period can lead to a significant drop in hardness in the over-aging status. In the low-alloy content Al-Zn-Mg alloys, the actual nucleation rates of precipitation during the early stages of AA vary significantly with the AA temperature, which serves as the underlying cause of the observed NA effect. These results provide rather an important guidance for the production process of the 7003alloy and other aluminum alloys with similar chemical composition.

Effects of Cu and pre-aging on the clustering behavior in Al-Mg-Si alloys

The clustering behaviors in two Al-Mg-Si alloys with and without Cu after different pre-aging and natural aging conditions were systematically quantified using microhardness, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and atom probe tomography. Cu addition slowed down the natural aging process after either solutionizing or pre-aging regardless of pre-aging temperature and time, and reduced the negative effect of post pre-aging natural aging on β” precipitation by changing the composition of the Mg and Si rich clusters. This work complements the limited literature on the effect of long natural aging, and provides insights into the impacts of alloy composition and storage time on precipitation behavior during subsequent artificial aging.

Mechanisms related to the influence of natural aging on the precipitation behavior of the A357 aluminum alloy during artificial aging

This study investigated the influence of natural aging (NA) on the precipitation behavior of the main precipitate β″ and hardness evolution during the subsequent artificial aging (AA) process of the precipitation strengthened A357 aluminum alloy. The corresponding mechanisms were analyzed. The results demonstrate that natural aging has adverse influence on the precipitation process during artificial aging. The underlying mechanism is that small GP zones are formed during natural aging but cannot become nucleation sites for the β″ phase during artificial aging, which spontaneously consumes the supersaturated solute atoms in the Al matrix, increases the nucleation barrier of the β″ phase, and also consumes the vacancies produced after solid solution and quenching, thereby reducing the nucleation rate of the β″ phase during artificial aging, and leading to an un-expected increase in the size of the precipitated phase, thus reducing the peak aging hardness of the alloy. This effect becomes more pronounced with increasing natural aging time. Increasing the artificial aging temperature can improve the nucleation rate of the β″ phase during artificial aging, thereby to some extent reducing the unfavorable influence of natural aging on the artificial aging by reducing the sizes and increasing the amount of the β″ precipitates.

Influence of Quenching and Subsequent Artificial Aging on Tensile Strength of Laser-Welded Joints of Al–Cu–Li Alloy

The research aim was to optimize post-weld heat-treatment (PWHT) modes for a laser-welded joint of the Al–Cu–Li alloy and improve their respective strength properties. As a result, the ultimate tensile strength, yield point, and elongation of the joint were enhanced up to 95%, 94%, and 38%, respectively, of those inherent in the base metal. Before and after PWHT, both microstructures and phase compositions have been examined by optical and scanning electron microscopy, as well as synchrotron X-ray diffractometry. In the as-welded metal, the α-Al and T1(Al2CuLi) phases were found, along with the θ′(Al2Cu) and S′(Al2CuMg) phases localized at the grain boundaries, significantly reducing the mechanical properties of the joint. Upon quenching, the agglomerates dissolved at the grain boundaries, the solid solution was homogenized, and both Guinier–Preston zones and precipitates of the intermediate metastable θ″ phase were formed. After subsequent optimal artificial aging, the (predominant) hardening θ′ and (partial) T1(Al2CuLi) phases were observed in the weld metal, which contributed to the improvement of the strength properties of the joint.

Long-term natural-aging-induced alleviation of attenuation of artificial-aging hardenability in an Al-5Mg-3Zn-1Cu (wt.%) alloy

Effects of long-term natural aging (NA, 2400 h) on the artificial aging (AA) responses of Al-5Mg-3Zn-1Cu alloy at various temperatures (120–175 °C) were scrutinized. The results show that the hardenability of the alloy without NA (NA-free) deteriorates seriously at high AA temperatures (>150 °C). Such decay of AA hardenability is primarily induced by the larger and sparser intragranular precipitates and is also associated with the wide precipitation-free zone. Compared with NA-free alloy, long-term natural pre-aging improves the nucleation conditions in the early stage of subsequent AA, thus preventing these unfavorable microstructures and thereby mitigating the decay of hardening potential.

Improvement of mechanical properties and thermal stability of Al–Cu–Mg–Ag alloy by warm rolling

In this paper, the microstructure, mechanical properties and thermal stability of Al–Cu–Mg–Ag alloys processed by warm rolling were compared with cold rolling with same strains using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the strengthening mechanism has been quantitatively investigated. The mechanical properties of the Al–Cu–Mg–Ag alloy are significantly improved by warm rolling at 200 °C and subsequent artificial aging at 180 °C, both before and after heat exposure at 200 °C for 100 h. Microstructure investigations revealed that compared to cold-rolled samples, warm-rolled samples have a higher number density of Ω plates after artificial aging, and the increase in yield strength caused by precipitation strengthening is greater. After heat exposure at 200 °C for 100 h, although the Ω plates in the warm-rolled samples are coarser compared to the cold-rolled alloys, the number densities are higher. Therefore, warm-rolled samples exhibit better mechanical properties than cold-rolled samples.

The combined effect of pre-aging and Sn addition on age hardening response and precipitation behavior of Al-1.0Mg-0.6Si (−0.3Cu) alloy

The combined effect of Sn and pre-aging on hardening and precipitation behavior of Al-1.0Mg-0.6Si(-0.3Cu) alloy was investigated by using hardness measurement, tensile test, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results indicated that the natural aging (NA) hardening of Al-1.0Mg-0.6Si (−0.3Cu) alloy was suppressed by pre-aging treatment, and the suppression of NA can be enhanced by the addition of Cu. However, the suppression of NA time of Al-1.0Mg-0.6Si and Al-1.0Mg-0.6Si-0.3Cu alloy, i.e., without obvious hardness increase after pre-aging treatment, is reduced to 5 and 7 days by the addition of Sn, which is not conducive to the suppression of NA. For subsequent artificial aging (AA) of the Al-1.0Mg-0.6Si (−0.3Cu) alloys, the AA precipitation of Al-1.0Mg-0.6Si alloy with pre-aging treatment is accelerated by the addition of Sn or Cu, particularly by adding both Sn and Cu, resulting in the increase in the bake hardening response. The effect of the evolution of clusters after pre-aging on underling mechanisms of NA and its AA were also discussed.

Improving the stretch formability of a heat-treatable magnesium–aluminum–calcium–manganese alloy by copper addition at the parts-per-million-level

Dilute magnesium–aluminum–calcium–manganese alloys have a quick age-hardening response and thus show higher strength after short periods of artificial aging; however, their room temperature formability is rather low. Here, we report that the addition of a small amount of copper (Cu) could substantially increase the Erichsen value of a Mg–0.5Al–0.5Ca–0.3Mn (wt.%) alloy due to the formation of a weakened sheet texture and variation in the distribution of (0002) basal pole figure. Specifically, the 0.03 wt% (300 parts-per-million) Cu-containing alloy showed a large index Erichsen value of 7.4 mm, which was noticeably higher than that of the Cu-free alloy (5.2 mm). Further investigation of the microstructure by transmission electron microscopy revealed that Cu co-segregated with Al and Ca at the grain boundaries, which played a critical role for the formation of the weaker basal texture and finer microstructure in the Cu-containing alloys. Owing to the small amount of the Cu addition, the resultant Mg–0.5Al–0.5Ca–0.3Mn–0.03Cu alloy showed a large thermal conductivity of 131 W/(m·K) in a solution treated condition. Subsequent artificial aging at 170 °C for 8 h (T6) not only improved the thermal conductivity to 141 W/(m·K) but also increased the tensile yield strength from 127 to 181 MPa. The improvement in both thermal conductivity and tensile yield strength by the T6-treatment is associated with the precipitation of densely distributed single-atomic layer Guinier–Preston zones lying parallel to the (0002) basal plane.

Влияние термической обработки на микроструктуру и механические свойства сплава Al–Mg–Si–Sc–Zr с избытком Si

The paper studies the Al–Mg–Si alloy that does not contain scandium and zirconium, as well as the silicon-rich Al–Mg–Si–Sc–Zr alloy. Multistage thermal treatment was carried out for the Al0.3Mg1Si0.3Sc0.15Zr alloy, which included annealing at a temperature of 440 °C for 8 h, high-temperature annealing at 500 °C for 0.5 h, and artificial aging at a temperature of 180 °C with soaking for 5 h. The Al0.3Mg1Si alloy was annealed at 550 °C for 8 h, and then artificial aging was carried out similarly to the alloy with Sc and Zr additives. To study the fine structure, transmission electron microscopy was used. In the as-cast condition and after each stage of thermal treatment, the mechanical properties of the alloys were determined. It has been found that in an alloy doped with Sc and Zr, the formation of Al3Sc particles occurs already at the stage of formation of the cast structure. During subsequent artificial aging, the supersaturated solid solution decomposes with the formation of β" (Mg5Si6) particles improving mechanical properties. It has been found that in the scandium-containing alloy, fewer β" (Mg5Si6) particles are formed, as a result of which its strength properties are slightly worse than those of the base alloy are. Moreover, these particles are larger than in an alloy that does not contain scandium. This is explained by the fact that complete quenching is impossible for an alloy with scandium additives.

Synergetic effect of natural ageing and pre-stretching on the ageing behavior in Tʹ/ηʹ phase-strengthened Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys

Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys with different major strengthening precipitates are subjected to a novel combinatorial pre-treatment, including natural ageing and pre-stretching. The evolution of hardness and microstructure during the combinatorial pre-treatment and subsequent artificial ageing has been investigated. The results reveal that the growth rate of hardness in alloy B (Zn/Mg = 10.0) is much higher than that of alloy A (Zn/Mg = 1.5) due to the fast precipitation kinetics of η′ phase compared with T′ phase. Both GP I zones and dislocations introduced by the combinatorial pre-treatment can act as heterogeneous nucleation sites for precipitation, resulting in more precipitates and higher hardness than pre-stretched alloys A and B. Dislocations distribute uniformly in combinatorial pre-treated alloys owing to the existence of GP I zones and dislocations, which promote the precipitation and refine the precipitate size. Moreover, these alloys with distinct pre-stretching (2%–10%) show similar precipitation behavior and peak hardness, and it indicates that the dislocation-induced precipitation will not be affected by the density of dislocations when plenty of GP I zones pre-exist.

Processing of Aluminum Alloy 6182 with High Scanning Speed in LPBF by In-Situ Alloying with Zr and Ti Powder

The demand for high-strength aluminum alloys for the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process is still growing. However, to date, the crack susceptibility of conventional alloys as well as the high prices for specially developed alloys are the main obstacles for the use of high-strength aluminum alloys for LPBF. In this paper, crack-free LPBF samples with a relative density >99.9% were processed from AlMgSi1Zr (6182 series alloy) powder, to which 0.5 wt.-% Zr and 0.5 wt.-% Ti were added via mechanical mixing. No hot cracks were found in the µCT scans. Moreover, a fully equiaxed microstructure with a mean size of the α-Al grains of 1.2 µm was observed in the as-built parts. Al3(Zr,Ti) particles were observed, acting as efficient heterogeneous grain refiners for α-Al by building a semi-coherent interface. Unmolten Ti and Zr particles with sizes up to 80 µm were found in the α-Al phase. The resulting fine-grained microstructure led to a tensile strength of 329 ± 4 MPa and a total elongation at a break of 11.4 ± 0.9% after solution heat treatment, quenching in water, and subsequent artificial ageing.