In-situ analysis of incipient melting of Al2Cu in a novel high strength Al-Cu casting alloy using laser scanning confocal microscopy

Incipient melting in a novel Al-Cu alloy was investigated. Precipitation hardenable aluminum alloys are typically heat treated to further enhance their in-service properties. However, over heating during heat treatment leads to incipient melting thereby compromising mechanical properties. Advanced microscopy and real time imaging techniques such as a high temperature laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) enable a novel direct in-situ …