Accelerated aging of aluminum alloys

Abstract: In order to determine storage life for aluminum alloys it is essential to have a good knowledge on the accelerated aging behavior and the mechanical properties that are affected. The selected aluminum alloys are AA2017, AA6082, AA7075 and the study has been focused on their impact toughness and hardness relation to aging beyond peak conditions. To be able to plot the mechanical properties versus aging time and temperature, Differential Scanning Calorimetric runs have been the key to obtain supporting activation energies for a specific transformation. The activation energies have been calculated according to the Kissinger method, plotted in Matlab. Arrhenius correlation has also been applied to predict the natural aging time for long time storage in 30 degrees Celsius. It could be concluded that the results from the mechanical test series show that the constructed Arrhenius 3D method did not meet the expectations to extrapolate constant activation energies down to storage life condition. Scanning electron microscopy together with light optical microscopy analyses show how important it is to apply notches in proper test specimen directions and how precipitates are grown, as it will affect impact toughness and hardness. An ending discussion is held to explain how mechanical testing progressed and how other external issues affected the master thesis operations.