The effect of natural aging (NA) on mechanical properties in double aged aluminum alloys, AA7075, was studied by means of hardness tests,... Show moreThe effect of natural aging (NA) on mechanical properties in double aged aluminum alloys, AA7075, was studied by means of hardness tests, tensile tests and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) tests. Natural aging can strengthen AA7075 alloys after solution heat treatment, and reaching the stable condition can take years for the alloy. Double aging (DA) is very beneficial method in terms of energy savings and productivity because this method provides the peak hardness in a much shorter time compared to single aging, and DA treatment produces hardness, yield stress and tensile stress which are comparable with those produced by SA. In this study, the alloys were naturally aged for different times before double aging treatment, and the relationship between double aging treatment and natural aging treatment was observed. The results show that different natural aging times do not significantly affect the final mechanical properties of double aged alloys. Consequently, the loading time to aging furnace after solution heat treatment does not play an important role in the double aging treatment of AA7075 alloys. M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering, May 2012 Show less
