Feasibility of Cryogenic Treatment for Improving Lattice Strain Distribution in AA7010 Alloy

Abstract

In the present investigation, AA7010 was subjected to two different cycles of cryogenic treatment. In one cycle, the cryogenic treatment was given after the quenching and aging, whereas in another cycle the treatment was given immediately after quenching before aging. The hardness and XRD results of these samples were compared with that of T6 conditioned sample, taken as the reference. The samples, which were given cryo-treatment immediately after quenching before aging, were found to have higher hardness than T6 condition samples. It was also observed that the internal strains in these samples, although more than the T6 conditioned samples, is more uniform than the later.