Synergistic improvement in bake-hardening response and natural aging stability of Al-Mg-Si-Cu-Zn alloys via non-isothermal pre-aging treatment

A new non-isothermal pre-aging treatment was proposed and utilized in Al-Mg-Si-Cu-Zn alloys, together with natural aging and artificial aging. The influence of cooling rates on subsequent precipitation behaviors was investigated by experimental and thermodynamic simulations. The results show that by controlling the formation of clusters/GP...