Effects of stabilizing heat treatment on microstructures and creep behavior of Zn-10Al-2Cu-0.02Ti alloy

The microstructures of as-extruded and stabilizing heat-treated Zn-10Al-2Cu-0.02Ti alloys were observed by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, electron probe microanalysis and X-ray diffraction analysis techniques. The change in structure after heat treatment and its effects on room temperature creep behavior were investigated by creep experiments at constant stress and slow strain rate tensile tests. The results show that after stabilizing heat treatment ((350 °C, 30 min, water-cooling)+(100 °C, 12 h, air-cooling)), the amount of α+η lamellar structure decreases, while the amount of cellular and granular structure increases. The heat-treated Zn-10Al-2Cu-0.02Ti alloy exhibits better creep resistance than the as-extruded alloy, and the rate of steady state creep decreases by 96.9% after stabilizing heat treatment.