Early subnanometre cluster formation during quenching of a high-strength AA7449 aluminium alloy was investigated using in situ small angle X-ray scattering. Fast quench cooling was obtained by using a laser-based heating system. The size and number density of homogeneous nucleated clusters were found to be strongly dependent on the cooling rate, while the volume fraction of cluster formation is independent of the cooling rate. Heterogeneous larger precipitation starts at higher temperatures in volume fractions that depend on the cooling rate. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.
William Curtin, Michele Ceriotti
Jean-Paul Richard Kneib, Benjamin Yvan Alexandre Clement, Benjamin Emmanuel Nicolas Beauchesne, Mathilde Jauzac, Johan Richard