Direct quantification of precipitation behavior in engineering Al-Mg-Si alloy: A study using complementary small angle neutron scattering and transmission electron microscopy

Wangshu Zheng; Yifan Han; Lipeng Ding; Zhihong Jia; Lei Zhao; Ganting Yang; Yuyang Liu; Xuyang Feng; Haibiao Zheng; Yubin Ke; Qiang Guo

Next Materials (Jul 2025)

Direct quantification of precipitation behavior in engineering Al-Mg-Si alloy: A study using complementary small angle neutron scattering and transmission electron microscopy

Wangshu Zheng,
Yifan Han,
Lipeng Ding,
Zhihong Jia,
Lei Zhao,
Ganting Yang,
Yuyang Liu,
Xuyang Feng,
Haibiao Zheng,
Yubin Ke,
Qiang Guo

Affiliations

Wangshu Zheng: State Key Lab of Metal Matrix Composites, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, PR China
Yifan Han: State Key Lab of Metal Matrix Composites, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, PR China
Lipeng Ding: Key Laboratory for Light-weight Materials, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, PR China
Zhihong Jia: Key Laboratory for Light-weight Materials, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, PR China
Lei Zhao: State Key Lab of Metal Matrix Composites, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, PR China; Corresponding authors.
Ganting Yang: State Key Lab of Metal Matrix Composites, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, PR China
Yuyang Liu: State Key Lab of Metal Matrix Composites, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, PR China
Xuyang Feng: State Key Lab of Metal Matrix Composites, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, PR China
Haibiao Zheng: Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China; Spallation Neutron Source Science Center, Dongguan 523803, PR China
Yubin Ke: Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China; Spallation Neutron Source Science Center, Dongguan 523803, PR China; Corresponding author at: Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China.
Qiang Guo: State Key Lab of Metal Matrix Composites, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, PR China; Corresponding authors.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 8
p. 100594

Abstract

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Age-hardenable Al-Mg-Si alloys are widely used in engineering applications but still lack precise, quantitative insights into their precipitation behavior. In this study, we employed small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) to systematically investigate a typical Al-Mg-Si alloy under different aging conditions, complemented by site-specific transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis. Our results identify a clear precipitation sequence—Guinier-Preston (GP) zones → β'' → U2—and elucidate the underlying mechanisms through precipitation thermodynamics and kinetics. Both SANS and TEM measurements showed excellent agreement in precipitate size and volume fraction, offering valuable new perspectives on the precipitation kinetics of Al-Mg-Si alloys.

Published in Next Materials

ISSN: 2949-8228 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Technology
Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/next-materials

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