Effect of high-speed impact compression on natural aging and subsequent artificial aging of a 6061 aluminum alloy

Abstract

The effect of high-speed impact compression on natural aging and subsequent artificial aging of a 6061 aluminum alloy was investigated using Micro-Vickers hardness test, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The suppression of natural age-hardening was clearly seen in the alloy with high-speed impact compression. TEM observation showed that ne β" precipitates was formed during articial aging even after high-speed impact compression and natural aging. Maximum hardness of the peak-aged alloys with high-speed compression was almost the same as that without natural aging, showing that negative effect of two step aging was almost overcome by high-speed impact compression.