Mechanical Properties and Corrosion Resistance of an Al-Zn-Mg-Cu Aluminum Matrix Composite with In Situ Synthesis of Al3Zr and ZrB2 by Mixed Salt Reaction

The paper studied the microstructure and properties of (Al3Zr + ZrB2)p/Al-Zn-Mg-Cu composite by mixed salt reaction (MSR) in different states. The results show that the grain sizes of the aluminum matrix composite are similar and very small, and the average grain size of which is around 3.257 μm. Besides, the precompression and pre-recovery treatment can further improve the mechanical properties and the corrosion resistance. In the pre-recovery, solution, precompression and T6 aging process, the composite material has the best mechanical properties, the hardness and tensile strength of which reaches up to 258 HV and 666 MPa, respectively. Meanwhile, T76 aging is more effective on the exfoliation and intergranular corrosion resistance of the composite material than T6 aging.