Microstructure evolution and tensile mechanical properties of thixoformed high performance Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy

Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys are the strongest aluminum alloys which have been widely used for aerospace applications. They are usually machined from the wrought state usually with a high waste percentage. To reduce waste, it is important to thixoform these alloys in near net shape. In this work, the thixoformability of a commercial high performance Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy 7075 was studied. A novel multistep reheating regime was developed in recrystallization and partial melting (RAP) route to obtain spheroidal semi-solid microstructures. The as-extruded 7075 alloy was fully recrystallized for a short holding time using the multistep reheating regime. Semi-solid microstructures with fine and spherical solid grains with a grain size of 40-50 μm embedded in liquid matrix were obtained. The advantage of the multistep reheating regimes over those conventional routes was also discussed. Some wheel-shaped components were thixoformed from the as-received 7075 alloy. The ultimate tensile strength, yield strength and elongation to fracture of the thixoformed component based on multistep reheating regime, are 510 MPa, 446 MPa and 17.5% respectively. These values are superior to those of the products manufactured with the conventional RAP route. As the results indicated, thixoforming could be conducted based on commercial extruded Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys, which has important practical significance.