Influence of the Composition and Vacancy Concentration on Cluster Decomposition Behavior in Al-Si-Mg Alloy: A Kinetic Monte Carlo Study

The influence of cluster composition and the addition of vacancies on the decomposition behavior of clusters during artificial aging in Al-Si-Mg alloys were analyzed according to the kinetic Montel Carlo model. Clusters with a balanced composition (Mg/(Mg + Si) = 0.5) were the most difficult to decompose. In addition, the cluster decomposition was slower when more vacancies were added to the cluster. Among Si, Mg, and vacancies, vacancies most significantly affect decomposition. The clusters with Mg/(Mg + Si) <= 0.4 strongly trap vacancies, which can be classified as hardly decomposable vacancy-rich clusters. The clustering behavior during natural aging and the effect of pre-aging were analyzed using the Kinetic Monte Carlo model. Pre-aging slows down cluster formation due to the lowered vacancy concentration. In addition, the overall composition of the clusters changes to easily decomposable clusters after pre-aging. Thus, not only is the number of clusters reduced but also the clusters are more easily decomposable when pre-aging is performed.

Automated summary

The influence of cluster composition and the addition of vacancies on the decomposition behavior of clusters during artificial aging in Al-Si-Mg alloys were analyzed. It was found that the balanced composition clusters were the most difficult to decompose, and the addition of vacancies slowed down the cluster decomposition. Among the components, vacancies had the most significant effect. The clustering behavior during natural aging and the effect of pre-aging were also analyzed. It was observed that pre-aging reduced the number of clusters and made them more easily decomposable.