The effects of Cu and Sn additions on the precipitation hardening of Al-Mg-Si alloys were systematically studied by performance testing and microscopic characterisation. Sn addition can retard the onset of natural aging (NA), while after long-term NA, the NA hardening is enhanced. Although Cu and Sn can promote the NA hardening, the Cu and Sn combination addition results in NA hardness lower than the individual Cu addition. Compared with Sn, Cu addition is more efficient in promoting the artificial aging hardening of these alloys. Both of the Sn and Cu atoms can incorporate in the interior of the β′′ phase and produce disordered structure. The results are expected to provide new insight for designing new aluminium alloys for automotive application.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.