Mechanical Properties and Microstructures of Highly Fe-Containing Al–Mg–Si Alloys Processed by Severe Plastic Deformation under High Pressure

Abstract

In this study, A6022-based Al–Mg–Si alloys with three additional Fe contents are processed by high-pressure torsion (HPT) and high-pressure sliding (HPS). Both processes yield a similar tensile strength exceeding 400 MPa. Fe intermetallics were finely and homogeneously fragmented to an average size of ∼2 µm by the HPT process. The high tensile strength is attributed to such a fine and homogeneous fragmentation of Fe intermetallics. It is also demonstrated that the finely fragmented Fe intermetallics play an important role to maintain finer grain size even after solution treatment.