Aging Behavior and Mechanical Properties of 45 vol.% SiCp/7075Al Composite
摘要
The age-hardening behavior of the 45 vol.% SiCp/7075Al composite and its influence on the mechanical properties have been investigated. The findings reveal accelerated aging kinetics along with a significant improvement in mechanical properties. The composite aged at 105°C for 30 h attains maximum yield and bending strengths of 953 MPa and 1105 MPa, respectively. This represents an increase of 106% and 39.7% compared to those of the as-fabricated composite, which can be attributed to the coexistence of GP zones and η′ phases. Moreover, the conditional yield strengths (σ0.01, σ0.05, and σ0.1) of the composite aged at 105°C for 60 h are 472 MPa, 726 MPa, and 843 MPa, respectively. These values correspond to increments of approximately 173%, 164%, and 138%, respectively, indicating an enhanced resistance to micro-yielding deformation. In contrast to the double-peak behavior observed in the monolithic 7075 alloy, the SiCp/7075Al composite aged at 145°C exhibits a single peak at 10.5 h. This is ascribed to the presence of η′ precipitates in the Al matrix, with the number density of approximately 0.98 × 1023 m-3. Notably, the best aging temperature for SiCp/7075Al composites, namely 105°C, is lower than that of the monolithic 7075 alloy.