Mechanical properties and microstructural evolution in Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloy with a CuxMgx/10 content

In this study, we investigate the effect of CuxMgx/10 (x = 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.8 wt.%) in Al-Cu-Mg-based alloys on the mechanical properties. Of these, the Cu6.0Mg0.60 alloy shows the highest mechanical properties of sigma(UTS) = 532 MPa (sigma(y) = 504 MPa) and epsilon = 11.1%. The amount of CuxMgx/10 solutes affects both macroscopic and microscopic microstructures of fabricated alloys. In the macroscopic observation, a higher content of CuxMgx/10 induces the grain size refinement and the formation of large particles in the grain boundaries. For the microscopic investigation using electron microscopies, the formation of theta' strengthening phase is more accelerated by a higher content of CuxMgx/10 rather than the formation of Omega phase. Furthermore, microscopic structural distortion is significantly induced with a higher content of CuxMgx/10, which affects the tensile properties of the developed alloys.

Automated summary

This study investigated the effect of different CuxMgx/10 content in Al-Cu-Mg-based alloys, with Cu6.0Mg0.60 alloy showing the highest mechanical properties. The amount of CuxMgx/10 solutes influences the macroscopic and microscopic structures of the fabricated alloys, with higher content leading to grain size refinement and accelerated formation of theta' strengthening phase. Additionally, a higher content of CuxMgx/10 induces significant microscopic structural distortion, impacting the tensile properties of the developed alloys.