Improved high-temperature creep properties of heat-resistant Al-Mg-Zn-Cu-Ni quinary alloy by adding a trace amount of Ti

Abstract

The present study investigated the effect of trace titanium (Ti) addition on high-temperature creep properties of a heat-resistant quinary aluminum (Al) alloy, with a composition of Al-5Mg-3.5Zn-2Cu-2Ni (mol%). Both the quinary alloy and Ti-added alloy were solution-treated at 480°C and then aged at 200°C for 10 hours. The creep tests were conducted at 200°C under 105 MPa. The addition of trace Ti element reduced the minimum creep rate and delayed the onset of the tertiary creep stage (creep acceleration), resulting in the extended creep rupture life of the Al-5Mg-3.5Zn-2Cu-2Ni quinary alloy. The creep rupture life of the Ti-added alloy was higher than that of the A7075 alloy but lower than that of the A2618 alloy, whereas the initial creep rate (up to 0.2% in strain) of the Ti-added quinary alloy was lower than that of the A2618 alloy. The superior creep properties were presumably due to the enhanced stability of the fine precipitation morphologies of the T-Al 6 Mg 11 Zn 11 phase by solute Ti inside the α-Al matrix.