Hardness modification of Al–Mg–Si alloy by using energetic ion beam irradiation

So far, we have irradiated Al–Mg–Si alloy with 5.4–16 MeV several ions at room temperature, and have found that ion irradiation is a useful tool for controlling the surface hardness for Al–Mg–Si alloys. In the present study, we tried several experiments as some applications of ion beam irradiation for hardness modifications of Al–Mg–Si alloy. Main results are as follows; (1) the combination of ion beam irradiation and the subsequent thermal aging can be used as an effective tool for the hardness modification of Al–Mg–Si alloy, and (2) designated regions and areas of the specimen can be hardened by changing the energy of ion beam and producing the irradiated area and unirradiated area of the surface. Then, we can expand the possibility of the ion beam irradiation as a new process for the three-dimensional hardness modification of Al–Mg–Si alloy.