Heat Treatment of Aluminum Alloys with the Natural Combination of Dopants.

Aluminothermic reduction without the separation of individual metals is currently considered as a possible method for processing ferromanganese sea nodules and creating new alloys. In this study, the product of their reduction-a manganese-based polymetallic mixture-was added to pure aluminum, as a mixture of alloying elements in their natural ratios. After extrusion, two new aluminum alloys with a total percentage of metallic additives ranging from 1 to 6 percent were prepared. The possibilities of the precipitation strengthening of these aluminum alloys, especially those containing Mn, Fe, Si, Ni, and Cu, were investigated under a wide range of heat treatment conditions. After each tested combination of annealing and artificial aging temperatures, the phase composition and the microstructure changes were recorded by X-ray diffraction, optical, and scanning electron microscopy with EDS analysis. Under none of the tested heat treatment conditions is a significant hardening effect observed, even though the precipitate phases are observed by TEM. However, the changes in the morphology of the present intermetallic phases caused by the heat treatment are revealed, which highlights the further possible development of these multicomponent alloys.

Rapidly Solidified Aluminium Alloy Composite with Nickel Prepared by Powder Metallurgy: Microstructure and Self-Healing Behaviour.

Composite material prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) from a powder mixture of AlCrFeSi rapidly solidified alloy and 5 wt. % of Ni particles was studied in this work. It was proven that during SPS compaction at 500 °C, no intermetallic phases formed on the surface of Ni particles. The material exhibited sufficient mechanical properties obtained by tensile testing (ultimate tensile stress of 203 ± 4 MPa, ductility of 0.8% and 0.2% offset yield strength of 156 ± 2 MPa). Tensile samples were pre-stressed to 180 MPa and annealed at 450 and 550 °C for 1 h. Annealing at 450 °C did not lead to any recovery of the material. Annealing at 550 °C caused the full recovery of 0.2% offset yield strength, while the ductility was decreased. The self-healing behaviour originates from the growth of intermetallic phases between the Ni particle and the Al matrix. The sequence of NiAl, Ni2Al3 and NiAl3 intermetallic phases formation was observed. In particular, the morphology of the NiAl3 phase, growing in thin dendrites into the Al matrix, is suitable for the closing of cracks, which pass through the material.