Mechanical properties and microstructure of 6061 aluminum alloy severely deformed by ARB process and subsequently aged at low temperatures

In order to clarify the aging behavior in ultrafine grained (UFG) Al alloys, a commercial Al-Mg-Si alloy was severely deformed by accumulative roll-bonding (ARB) process and subsequently aged at 100°C or 170°C. The age-hardening behavior and microstructure change during aging were investigated. At 170 °C, age-hardening was observed in solution treated (ST) specimens, but solution-treated and ARB-processed specimens were not hardened by aging. On the other hand, the hardness of the both ST specimen and ARB-processed specimen increased by aging at 100°C. From TEM observation, it was found that the ARB- processed specimen had an ultrafine lamellar boundary structure and the structure was kept during aging at 170°C and 100°C. In the ST specimen aged at 170°C, fine precipitates were observed within coarse grains. In the specimen ARB-processed and subsequently aged at 170°C, coarser precipitates were observed within ultrafine grains and on grain boundaries. It was considered that the reason why the hardness of the specimens ARB-processed and subsequently aged did not increase was coarsening of precipitates. In the specimens aged at 100°C, obvious precipitates were not observed, but clusters Mg and Si seemed to form during the aging, leading to the increase in the hardness of the specimen. From the results, it was suggested that aging at low temperatures could improve mechanical properties of Al alloys through combining grain refinement and precipitation hardening.