Phase-transformation-induced hardening in Zn-22A1 alloys

摘要

A phase-transformation-induced hardening effect is reported in Zn-22A1 (Al: 22wt.%) alloys. The Zn-22A1 specimens were held at 300 °C for 10 h and then quenched in water. A hardening effect took place in subsequent artificial aging at 100-200 °C, which was accompanied by a phase decomposition of a soft α_2 phase and a grain coarsening. The phase-transformation-induced hardening affects the hardness more than the grain-coarsening-induced softening, which leads to the age-hardening phenomenon.