The rapid evolution of the aerospace industry has driven the demand for materials that offer enhanced strength, toughness, and corrosion resistance. Among these materials, aluminum alloy AA2024 stands out due to its lightweight properties and superior mechanical performance, making it a popular choice for structural components in aircraft. The alloy’s primary alloying elements, copper and magnesium, significantly contribute to its desirable properties by forming various precipitates during different heat treatment processes. This study aims to provide a comprehensive microstructural characterization of three AA2024 aluminum alloy specimens subjected to different aging treatments: T3, T6, and T81.
To achieve this, an integrated approach was employed, combining scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). These techniques were utilized to identify and analyze various precipitates, intermetallic particles, and dispersoids within the alloy samples. The Thermo Scientific™ Apreo™ ChemiSEM played a crucial role in this study by facilitating efficient data acquisition and processing through its integrated ChemiSEM™ Technology and streamlined EBSD workflow. Figure 1 shows a variety of microscale intermetallic particles in
the AA2024-T3 sample. Material contrast in the backscattered electron (BSE) images was used to distinguish particles with different physical characteristics. Conventional EDS analysis confirmed the presence of varying ratios of Cu, Mn, Mg, and Fe in all these particles. Automated ChemiPhase analysis was able to identify all the materials present in the analyzed area. ChemiPhase assigns each material to a specific phase and automatically calculates the associated spectrum, quantification, and area fraction. AutoScript™ Application programming interface was used to automatise acquisition and generate results.
Fig. 1.
AA2024 sample subjected to the T3 aging treatment. Various intermetallic particles are differentiated through a combination of backscattered electron contrast imaging (A) and ChemiPhase analysis (B). Different colors in the ChemiPhase map represent distinct phases.
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