# Comparison of Mechanical and Corrosion Properties Between Coarse-Grained and Ultrafine-Grained High-Strength Aluminum Alloys

## TL;DR

This study shows that ultrafine-grained 7A52 aluminum alloy processed with multi-axial forging and aging has better strength, elongation, and corrosion resistance than coarse-grained versions.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that combining multi-axial forging and aging improves the mechanical and corrosion properties of high-strength aluminum alloys.

## Key findings

- Ultrafine-grained alloy achieved 561 MPa strength and 12.3% elongation after multi-axial forging and aging.
- Grain boundary precipitates improved corrosion resistance due to larger size and discontinuous distribution.
- Multi-axial forging and aging offer a feasible strategy for industrial production of high-performance aluminum alloys.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
A 7A52 aluminum alloy was processed by multi-axial forging and aging.The fine-grained alloy shows higher strength, elongation and corrosion resistance.The strengthening is due to dislocation multiplication and grain size reduction.The improvement in grain boundary precipitates enhances corrosion resistance.

A 7A52 aluminum alloy was processed by multi-axial forging and aging.

The fine-grained alloy shows higher strength, elongation and corrosion resistance.

The strengthening is due to dislocation multiplication and grain size reduction.

The improvement in grain boundary precipitates enhances corrosion resistance.

What are the implications of the main findings?
This study provides a feasible strategy to improve the comprehensive properties of high-strength aluminum alloysThe severe plastic deformation and heat treatment optimizes the microstructure of alloys, thus enhances their overall performance.Multi-axial forging and aging treatment features excellent engineering applicability and can be extended to industrial production of high-performance aluminum alloy components.

This study provides a feasible strategy to improve the comprehensive properties of high-strength aluminum alloys

The severe plastic deformation and heat treatment optimizes the microstructure of alloys, thus enhances their overall performance.

Multi-axial forging and aging treatment features excellent engineering applicability and can be extended to industrial production of high-performance aluminum alloy components.

Multi-axial forging (MAF) and aging were employed to process a high-strength aluminum alloy. The tensile properties, microstructure, and corrosion behavior were researched. After MAF, the strength of the alloy was observably increased, but the elongation was decreased. The strengthening mechanism resulted from dislocation multiplication and grain size reduction. After aging, strength was enhanced further, and elongation was improved. The strength and elongation are 561 MPa and 12.3%. Moreover, the corrosion resistance was obviously enhanced. The further strengthening is mainly attributed to the precipitation strengthening. The larger size and discontinuous distribution of grain boundary precipitates resulted in the alloy having higher corrosion resistance.