Accelerated discovery of high-strength aluminum alloys by machine learning

Abstract

Aluminum alloys are attractive for a number of applications due to their high specific strength, and developing new compositions is a major goal in the structural materials community. Here, we investigate the Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy system (7xxx series) by machine learning-based composition and process optimization. The discovered optimized alloy is compositionally lean with a high ultimate tensile strength of 952 MPa and 6.3% elongation following a cost-effective processing route. We find that the Al8Cu4Y phase in wrought 7xxx-T6 alloys exists in the form of a nanoscale network structure along sub-grain boundaries besides the common irregular-shaped particles. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of using machine learning to search for 7xxx alloys with good mechanical performance.