The Application of Canned Deformation to a Hard-Deformed Spray-Deposited Al-Zn-Mg-Cu Alloy

A wide variety of industrial applications require Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys with high strength and ductility. However, Zn-rich Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys prepared by rapid solidification methods usually show excellent strength but poor formability, which restricts their wide application in complex forming. In this study, we developed a new deformation method for the spray-deposited Zn-rich Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy to avoid crack formation and achieve isotropic properties. The microstructure evolution and crystallographic textures were analyzed and compared with the results of a normal deformation process. Crack-free forgings with the ultimate tensile strength (UTS), yield strength (YS) and elongation of 727 ± 5 MPa, 690 ± 3 MPa, 5.0 ± 0.7% along the radial direction and 735 ± 2 MPa, 693 ± 3 MPa, 6.3 ± 0.2% along the tangential direction were finally obtained. The improvement in the mechanical properties can be attributed to the larger amount of subgrains and substructures generated in the canned deformed alloy. The results of this study show excellent advantages and potential application prospects of the canned deformation to hard-deformed Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys.