Precipitates in aluminium alloys

Precipitation strengthening is a highly complex phenomenon on the nanoscale, responsible for providing strength in Al-Cu, Al-Mg-Cu, Al-Mg-Zn and Al-Mg-Si alloys. Advances in methodology, especially high-angle annular dark-field transmission electron microscopy and atomistic calculations provide fundamental insights into the mechanisms behind precipitation. We are beginning to understand how solute elements form precipitates from the Al matrix and how structures relate. Examples are Ω, η’ and η-phases of Al-Cu and Al-Mg-Zn, where solute organizes in similar supercells in the aluminium lattice. In Al-Mg-Si and Al-Mg-Cu, discovery of 1D Guinier–Preston zone aids understanding of precipitation and growth in the two systems.