Study of Aging Precipitation of Al-Zn-Mg Alloys with Er Additions by Monte Carlo Simulation

Abstract

Our former experimental study showed that the addition of Er to Al-Zn-Mg alloys speeded up the aging precipitation, accelerated the precipitation of and enhanced the effect of aging strengthening distinctively. In this paper, the Monte Carlo method was applied to simulate the microstructural evolution of Al-2.6Zn-(2.3Mg)-(0.07Er), Al-2.6Zn-2.3Mg-(0.12Er), and Al-2.6Zn-2.3Mg-0.1(Er,Zr) alloys during aging. The effects of Er addition to Al-Zn-Mg alloys on the clustering of Zn and Mg atoms are studied through analysis of the simulation results and the effects on the subsequent aging process are discussed as well. The results show that the Zn/Mg/Er clusters appear beside the Zn clusters, Mg clusters and Zn/Mg clusters in the Er addition Al-Zn-Mg alloys. The Zn clusters and Zn/Mg clusters are finer in the Al-2.6Zn-2.3Mg-xEr alloys than that in the Al-2.6Zn-2.3Mg alloys without Er addition. The size of the Zn clusters and Zn/Mg clusters in the Al-2.6Zn-2.3Mg-0.07Er is eight percent and nineteen percent smaller than that in the Al-2.6Zn-2.3Mg alloys without Er addition respectively. This precipitation refinement effect of Er addition to the Al-2.6Zn-2.3Mg alloys is enhanced with the increment of Er content. These above results are consistent with the experimental results that the precipitation in the Al-Zn-Mg alloys with Er is finer and denser than that in the Al-Zn-Mg alloys without Er. The Er addition changes the clusters distribution in the Al-Zn-Mg alloys by its interaction with the main solute atoms and the vacancy, and thus influences the precipitations during subsequent aging processing.