Publications
Coarsening kinetics of nanoscale Al3Sc precipitates in an Al-Mg-Sc alloy
The effects of Mg alloying on the temporal evolution of Al{sub 3}Sc (L1{sub 2} structure) nanoscale precipitates are investigated, focusing on the morphology and coarsening kinetics of Al{sub 3}Sc precipitates in an Al-2.2 Mg-0.12 Sc at.% alloy aged between 300 and 400 C. Approximately spheroidal precipitates are obtained after aging at 300 C and irregular morphologies are observed at 400 C. The coarsening behavior is studied using conventional and high-resolution transmission electron microscopies to obtain the temporal evolution of the precipitate radius, and atom-probe tomography is employed to measure the Sc concentration in the {alpha}-matrix. The coarsening kinetics are analyzed using a coarsening model developed by Kuehmann and Voorhees for ternary systems [Kuehmann CJ, Voorhees PW. Metall Mater Trans A 1996;27:937]. Values of the interfacial free energy and diffusion coefficient for Sc diffusion in this Al-Mg-Sc alloy at 300 C are independently calculated, and are in good agreement with the calculated value of interfacial free energy and the experimental diffusivity obtained for the Al-Sc system.