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The Natural Aging Behavior Of Open-Die-Forged 7050 Aluminum Alloy, Casey J. Madsen, Joseph J. Redfearn

Materials Engineering

The aging response of open-die-forged 7050 aluminum was studied at various temperatures. This is of interest because the alloy can potentially crack during stress relief if it ages after its heat treatment. Natural aging limits the ductility enough to potentially cause cracking and is combatted by placing the forgings in freezers. This experiment shows which temperatures successfully inhibit aging in the forgings. The goal was to develop a maximum time that a sample can be stored at certain temperatures before the forgings have naturally aged. The samples were first solution heat treated then water-quenched. Next, the samples were stored at …