METHOD FOR PRODUCING UNRECRYSTALLIZED ALUMINIUM-LITHIUM PRODUCT WITH IMPROVED STRENGTH AND FRACTURE TOUGHNESS

摘要

ALUMINUM-LITHIUM ALLOYS AND PROCESS THEREFORA B S T R A C TDisclosed is a method of producing anunrecrystallized wrought aluminum-lithium product havingimproved levels of strength and fracture toughness. Themethod comprises the steps of providing a body of a lithiumcontaining aluminum base alloy; heating the body to a hotworking or hot rolling temperature and hot working or hotrolling the body to a first product. The product is coldworked or cold rolled to a second wrought product and thenreheated or reheated and hot rolled while avoiding substantialrecrystallization thereof, the reheating or the hot rollingadapted to relieve stored energy capable of causingrecrystallization during a subsequent heat treating step. Theproduct is then solution heat treated, quenched and aged toprovide a substantially unrecrystallized product havingimproved levels of strength and fracture toughness.