The effects of non-isothermal aging on the strength and corrosion behavior of Al Zn Mg Cu alloy

The effects of non-isothermal aging treatment on strength and corrosion behavior of AlZnMgCu alloy have been investigated by hardness and electrical conductivity, tensile testing, intergranular corrosion (IGC) testing, potentiodynamic polarization combined with optical microscopy (OM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The combination of excellent mechanical properties and satisfactory corrosion resistance can be acquired by adjusting the key parameters of non-isothermal aging. The differences of strength and corrosion resistance are explained on the basis of the microstructure evolution of intra-grain and grain boundary precipitates.