Mechanical Properties/Microstructure Relationships in Aerospace Aluminum Alloys

Copper‐rich 7000 series aluminum alloys are widely used for thick plate aerospace applications. A major concern for such applications is the quench sensitivity of the alloy, since quench‐induced intergranular precipitation partly controls important mechanical properties such as toughness. The purpose of this work is to study the quench sensitivity of two alloys, AA7040 and AA7050, by a detailed quantitative study of their microstructure. Notably, a novel technique of Small‐Angle X‐ray Scattering is used to determine quantitatively the relative volume fractions of intergranular and intragranular precipitation.