The Possible transition mechanism for the meta-stable phase in the 7xxx aluminium

7xxx系アルミニウムにおける準安定相への相変態機構

Bendo, A.*; 松田 健二*; 西村 克彦*; 布村 紀男*; 土屋 大樹*; Lee, S.*; Marioara, C. D.*; 都留 智仁   ; 山口 正剛   ; 清水 一行*; 戸田 裕之*

Bendo, A.*; Matsuda, Kenji*; Nishimura, Katsuhiko*; Nunomura, Norio*; Tsuchiya, Taiki*; Lee, S.*; Marioara, C. D.*; Tsuru, Tomohito; Yamaguchi, Masatake; Shimizu, Kazuyuki*; Toda, Hiroyuki*

アルミニウム合金の準安定相は機械的性質に最も寄与する一次のナノサイズの析出物である。7xxx系アルミニウム合金における硬度の連続的上昇はクラスターやGPゾーンから準安定の相への相変態に関係する。構造的および組成的変態は最も低い活性化エネルギーの経路に従って生じる。本研究は、構造的相変態がどのようにして生じるかを拡散の最短経路に基づいて評価するものであり、高分解能透過型電子顕微鏡を用いて、相変態の動的挙動を捉えることに成功した。

Metastable phases in aluminum alloys are the primary nano-scale precipitates which have the biggest contribution to the increase in the tangible mechanical properties. The continuous increase in hardness in the 7xxx aluminum alloys is associated with the phase transformation from clusters or GP-zones to the metastable phase. The transformation which is structural and compositional should occur following the path of the lowest activation energy. This work is an attempt to gain insight into how the structural transformation may occur based on the shortest route of diffusion for the eventual structure to result in that of phase. However, for the compositional transformation to occur, the proposed mechanism may not stand, since it is a prerequisite for the atoms to be at very precise positions in the aluminum lattice, at the very beginning of structural transformation, which may completely differ from that of the GP-zones atomic arrangements.