High-Strength Aluminum P/M Alloys
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ASM Handbook, Volume 2: Properties and Selection: Nonferrous Alloys and Special-Purpose Materials Copyright © 1990 ASM International® ASM Handbook Committee, p 200-215 All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1361/asmhba0001064 www.asminternational.org High-Strength Aluminum P/M Alloys J.R. Pickens, Martin Marietta Laboratories POWDER METALLURGY (P/M) tech- one of the dominant structural material fam- of particular concern to designers of aircraft nology provides a useful means of fabricating ilies of the 20th century. Aluminum has low and aerospace structures, where high ser- net-shape components that enables machin- density (2.71 g/cm 3) compared with compet- vice temperatures preclude the use of alu- ing to be minimized, thereby reducing costs. itive metallic alloy systems, good inherent minum alloys for certain structural compo- Aluminum P/M alloys can therefore compete corrosion resistance because of the contin- nents. with conventional aluminum casting alloys, uous, protective oxide film that forms very The number of alloying elements that as well as with other materials, for cost- quickly in air, and good workability that have extensive solid solubility in aluminum critical applications. In addition, P/M technol- enables aluminum and its alloys to be eco- is relatively low. Consequently, there are ogy can be used to refine microstructures nomically rolled, extruded, or forged into not many precipitation-hardenable alumi- compared with those made by conventional useful shapes. Major alloying additions to num alloy systems that are practical by ingot metallurgy (I/M), which often results in aluminum such as copper, magnesium, conventional I/M. This can be viewed as a improved mechanical and corrosion proper- zinc, and lithium--alone, or in various limitation when alloy developers endeavor ties. Consequently, the usefulness of alumi- combinations---enable aluminum alloys to to design improved alloys. Aluminum P/M num alloys for high-technology applications, attain high strength. Designers of aircraft technology enables the aforementioned lim- such as those in aircraft and aerospace struc- and aerospace systems generally like using itations of aluminum alloys to be overcome tures, is extended. This article describes and aluminum alloys because they are reliable, to various extents, while still maintaining reviews the latter of these two areas of alu- reasonably isotropic, and low in cost com- most of the inherent advantages of alumi- minum P/M technology where high strength pared to more exotic materials such as num. and improved combinations of properties are organic composites. Structure/Property Benefits. The advan- obtained by exploiting the inherent advantag- Aluminum alloys do have limitations tages of P/M stem from the ability of small es of P/M for alloy design. compared with competitive materials. For particles to be processed. This enables: The metallurgical reasons for the micro- example, Young's modulus of aluminum • The realization of RS rates structural refinement made possible by P/M (about 70 GPa, or 10 × 10 6 psi) is signifi- are discussed. The two broad high-strength cantly lower than that of ferrous alloys • The uniform introduction of strengthen- ing features, that is, barriers to disloca- P/M technologies--rapid solidification (RS) (about 210 GPa, or 30 x 10 6 psi) and titani- tion motion, from the powder surfaces and mechanical attrition (mechanical alloying/ um alloys (about 112 GPa, or 16 × 10 6 psi). dispersion strengthening)---are described. This lower modulus is almost exactly offset The powder processes of rapid solidifica- The various steps in aluminum P/M technol- by the density advantage of aluminum com- tion and mechanical attrition lead to micro- ogy are explained to produce an appreciation pared to iron- and titanium-base alloys. structural grain refinement and, in general, for the interrelationship between powder pro- Nevertheless, designers could exploit high- better mechanical properties of the alloy. cessing and resultant properties. Finally, the er-modulus aluminum alloys in many stiff- Specifically, the smaller the mean free path major thrust areas of P/M alloy design and ness-critical applications. between obstacles to dislocation motion, development are reviewed and some proper- Although aluminum alloys can attain high the greater the strengthening. In addition, ties of the leading aluminum P/M alloys dis- strength, the strongest such alloys have finer microstuctural features are also less cussed. No attempt is made to provide de- often been limited by stress-corrosion apt to serve as fracture-initiating flaws, sign-allowable mechanical properties, and the cracking (SCC) susceptibility in the highest- thereby increasing toughness. data presented for the various P/M alloys may strength tempers. For example, the high- The RS rates made possible by P/M en- not be directly comparable because of differ- strength 7xxx alloys (AI-Zn-Mg and AI-Zn- able microstructural refinement by several ences in product forms. Nevertheless, the Mg-Cu) can have severe SCC susceptibility methods. For example, grain size can be properties presented will enable the advan- in the highest-strength (T6) tempers. To reduced because of the short time available tages of aluminum P/M alloys to be appreci- remedy this problem, overaged (T7) tem- for nuclei to grow during solidification. Fin- ated. Greater details of aluminum P/M alloys pers have been developed that eliminate er grain size results in a smaller mean free are provided in other reviews (Ref 1 to 7). SCC susceptibility, but with a 10 to 15% path between grain boundaries, which are Conventional pressed and sintered aluminum strength penalty. effective barriers to dislocation motion, P/M alloys for less demanding applications The melting point of aluminum, 660 °C leading to increased "Hall-Petch" strength- are described in the Appendix to this article. (1220 °F), is lower than that of the major ening. In addition, RS can extend the alloy- competitive alloy systems: iron-, nickel-, ing limits in aluminum by enhancing super- Advantages of and titanium-base alloys. As might be ex- saturation and thereby enabling greater pected, the mechanical properties of alumi- precipitation hardening without the harmful Aluminum P/M Technology num alloys at elevated temperatures are segregation effects from overalloyed I/M Aluminum alloys have numerous techni- often not competitive with these other sys- alloys. Moreover, elements that are essen- cal advantages that have enabled them to be tems. This limitation of aluminum alloys is tially insoluble in the solid state, but have High-Strength Aluminum P/M Alloys / 201 powders to form metal-matrix composites (MMCs). However, the fine particles of matter must be consolidated and formed into useful shapes. The potential benefits of P/M technology can be realized, or lost, in the critical consolidation-related and form- ing processes. Aluminum P/M Processing There are several steps in aluminum P/M technology that can be combined in various ways, but they will be conveniently de- scribed in three general steps: • Powder production • Powder processing (optional) • Degassing and consolidation Powder can be made by various RS pro- cesses including atomization, splat quench- 1 ixm ing to form particulates, and melt spinning to form ribbon. Alternatively, powder can I:|¢1 Experimental AI-Zn-Mg-Cu-Co RS alloy that °'b" 1 contains a fine distribution of spherical I I be made by non-RS processes such as by C02AI9 particles and fine grain size (2 to 5 p,m). 1 ~m chemical reactions including precipitation, Courtesy of L. Christodoulou, Martin Marietta Labo- Experimental mechanically alloyed AI-1.5Li- or by machining bulk material. Powder-pro- ratories ""b ° 2 0.90-0.6C alloy featuring an ultrafine grain/ cessing operations are optional and include subgrain size. Courtesy of J.R. Pickens, unpublished mechanical attrition (for example, ball mill- research significant solubility in liquid aluminum, ing) to modify powder shape and size or to can be uniformly dispersed in the powder introduce strengthening features, or commi- particles during RS. This can lead to the tions created during working, which are nution such as that used to cut melt-spun formation of novel strengthening phases generated by dislocation-oxide interactions. ribbon into powder flakes for subsequent that are not possible by conventional I/M, However, ODS can be increased by me- handling. while also suppressing the formation of chanically attriting the powder particles to Aluminum has a high affinity for mois- equilibrium phases that are deleterious to more finely disperse the oxides. Ball milling ture, and aluminum powders readily adsorb toughness and corrosion resistance. The in the presence of organic surfactants al- water. The elevated temperatures generally photomicrograph shown in Fig. 1 exempli- lows carbides to be dispersed in a similar required to consolidate aluminum powder fies the microstructural refinement possible fashion. Finally, ball milling aluminum and causes the water of hydration to react and by RS-P/M processing. This experimental other powders can enable fine intermetallic form hydrogen, which can result in porosity A1-6.7Zn-2.4Mg-I.4Cu-0.8Co alloy has a dispersoids to form during milling or subse- in the final product, or under confined con- grain size of 2 to 5 Ixm and a fine distribution quent tbermomechanical processing. ditions, can cause an explosion. Conse- of Co2A19 particles of about 0.1 to 0.4 Ixm. The interplay between dispersed oxides, quently, aluminum powder must be de- Comparable I/M alloys have a grain size carbides (or other ceramics), intermetallics, gassed prior to consolidation. This is often that is almost an order of magnitude larger. and dislocations during hot, warm, or cold performed immediately prior to consolida- In addition, making this alloy by I/M would working can enable great refinement in tion at essentially the same temperature as lead to very coarse cobalt-containing parti- grain and subgrain size. This can result in that for consolidation to reduce fabrication cles because of the low solid-solubility of significant strengthening because grain and costs.