The Effects of Heat Straightening Temperature on the Microstructure and Properties of 7N01 Aluminum Alloy

The 7N01 aluminum alloys are always used in vehicles, but heat treatment can deteriorate mechanical properties and corrosion resistance, which limits its utilization. In this paper, the influences of the temperature of heat straightening on the corrosion behavior and mechanical properties of 7N01 aluminum alloy are investigated. Most of the initial Guinier Preston (GP) zones dissolve into the matrix during heat treatment process, while the grain boundary precipitates have no obvious change. The precipitates of the samples after heat treatment mainly consist of high density GP zones due to the natural aging effect, which result in the recovery of micro-hardness. Although heat treatment decreases the mechanical properties of 7N01 aluminum alloy, there is no obvious difference in mechanical properties of the specimens after different heat treatment conditions. The corrosion resistance of heat treatment samples decreases significantly compared with the base metal, which is attributed to enhancing the difference between the potential of the alloy matrix and the grain boundary.