Hardening of Al–Cu–Mg alloy by energetic ion irradiation

We irradiated Al–Cu–Mg alloy with 10 MeV iodine ions at room temperature and measured the surface microhardness. We analyzed the microstructure using a three-dimensional atom probe. Irradiation for 3.5 h led to an increase in hardness comparable to that obtained after 4 days of aging at 423 K. Precipitates of about 2.9 nm in diameter were distributed homogeneously over the irradiated region. The nanometer-sized precipitates produced by the irradiation caused a remarkable increase in hardness.