A model for age strengthening of plate-like-precipitate-containing Al alloys

A simplified model was presented to establish the quantitative relations between yield strength of aged Al alloys containing plate-like precipitates and the sizes, volume fraction of precipitates, which are dominated by ageing temperature, time as well as alloy compositions. The nucleation, growth and coarse of the precipitates are integrated into the age-strengthening model based on some acceptable assumptions. The ageing-strengthening of Al-Cu binary alloys was satisfactory simulated and predicted. Furthermore, the critical energy barrier for nucleation of precipitates in aged Al-Cu binary alloys, is determined from a simple ad hoc formula configured on the basis of tailoring relevant parameters, f(ΔG*, x₀/x_e)=constant, by which the model becomes of more feasibility, integrality and applicability.