The effect of re-ageing on a novel thermomechanical treatment for improving the mechanical properties of AA2139 aerospace aluminium alloys

This study presents the effects of a novel thermomechanical treatment on the mechanical properties of the AA2139 aerospace aluminium alloys. The novel treatment, which is comprised of a combination of under-aging, cold-rolling, and re-aging, was successfully employed by Wang et al (2014 Mater. Sci. Eng. A 607 313–7) to enhance the mechanical and microstructure properties of 6000 series aluminium alloys. The influence of under-ageing and re-aging parameters of the treatment on the AA2139 properties has been examined by tensile and hardness testing, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermoelectric power measurements. It was determined that a higher temperature under-ageing, combined with lower temperature and long duration re-ageing resulted in the most attractive mechanical properties, which significantly exceeded those of other traditional treatments. More specifically, a 175 °C/1.5 h under-ageing treatment, followed by a cold rolling reduction of 75% and a 110 °C/96 h re-ageing resulted in a yield strength of 554 MPa, an ultimate tensile strength of 618 MPa, and an elongation of 7.5%, far exceeding the strength requirements and 5% acceptable elongation for applications in the aerospace industry. These results, in conjunction with the results of the parallel study focusing on the effects of the cold-rolling component of the treatment (Bakare et al 2017 Mater. Res. Express 4) further reinforce the position that the treatment employed is superior to conventional ones for the 2139 alloy. (paper)