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Complex precipitation pathways in multicomponent alloys

Nature Materials volume 5, pages 482–488 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

One usual way to strengthen a metal is to add alloying elements and to control the size and the density of the precipitates obtained. However, precipitation in multicomponent alloys can take complex pathways depending on the relative diffusivity of solute atoms and on the relative driving forces involved. In Al–Zr–Sc alloys, atomic simulations based on first-principle calculations combined with various complementary experimental approaches working at different scales reveal a strongly inhomogeneous structure of the precipitates: owing to the much faster diffusivity of Sc compared with Zr in the solid solution, and to the absence of Zr and Sc diffusion inside the precipitates, the precipitate core is mostly Sc-rich, whereas the external shell is Zr-rich. This explains previous observations of an enhanced nucleation rate in Al–Zr–Sc alloys compared with binary Al–Sc alloys, along with much higher resistance to Ostwald ripening, two features of the utmost importance in the field of light high-strength materials.

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Figure 1: Al3ZrxSc1−x precipitates obtained by atomic simulation.
Figure 2: 3DAP analysis of the edge of an Al3ZrxSc1−x precipitate.
Figure 3: HREM image of an Al3ZrxSc1−x precipitate.
Figure 4: HAADF analysis of Al3ZrxSc1−x precipitates.
Figure 5: SAXS.
Figure 6: Precipitation kinetics deduced from SAXS.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to G. Martin for his invaluable help and advice throughout this work and for his careful reading of the manuscript. They also thank M. Athènes, D. Blavette, M. Guttmann, P. Guyot, B. Legrand, D. Seidman, C. Sigli and F. Soisson for fruitful discussions. They are indebted to C. Sigli and to Alcan for providing the heat-treated alloy samples, and to D. Seidman for sending preprints of refs 6 and 15 as far back as October 2002. They thank E. Adam for the use of his atomic visualization tool. This work was supported by the joint research program `Precipitation' between Alcan, Arcelor, CNRS, and CEA. E.C. and L.L. acknowledge financial support from Alcan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Service de Recherches de Métallurgie Physique, CEA/Saclay, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette, France

    Emmanuel Clouet & Maylise Nastar

  2. LTPCM/ENSEEG, UMR CNRS 5614, Domaine Universitaire, BP 75, 38402, St Martin d'Hères, France

    Ludovic Laé & Alexis Deschamps

  3. Groupe d'Études de Métallurgie Physique et de Physique des Matériaux, UMR CNRS 5510, INSA, 69621, Villeurbanne, France

    Thierry Épicier

  4. Groupe de Physique des Matériaux, UMR CNRS 6634, Université de Rouen, 76801, Saint Étienne du Rouvray, France

    Williams Lefebvre

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  1. Emmanuel Clouet
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Correspondence to Emmanuel Clouet.

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Clouet, E., Laé, L., Épicier, T. et al. Complex precipitation pathways in multicomponent alloys. Nature Mater 5, 482–488 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat1652

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