Effect of trace Er and Zr addition on mechanical properties of 6082 Al alloy during solid solution-aging treatment

The research shows that trace Er and Zr addition is an effective way to improve the mechanical properties of 6-series aluminum alloys, but the influence mechanism of trace Er and Zr addition on the mechanical properties during solid solution aging is still insufficient. The effect of trace Er and Zr addition (0, 0.1Er+0.1Zr(%) and 0.2Er+0.2Zr (%)) on the mechanical properties of 6082 Al alloy during solid solution aging was investigated by hardness, tensile tests and electron microscopy methods. The results show that the addition of Er and Zr has little effect on the hardness change of 6082 Al alloy at different solution temperatures (530, 540, 550 and 560 ℃), with the best solution process of 540 ℃ for 0.5 h. During the aging process at 170 ℃ (0-12 h), the Brinell hardness of Er+Zr/6082 Al alloy after the addition of Er and Zr reaches its peak at 8 h, 2h earlier than that of 6082 Al alloy. The addition of Er and Zr reduces the thermodynamic nucleation of Mg₂Si phase, and accelerates the growth and evolution of Mg₂Si phase during aging.