Development of Al–Mn–Mg 3004 alloy for applications at elevated temperature via dispersoid strengthening

• Significant strengthening of α-Al(MnFe)Si dispersoids during heat treatment is observed.
• Remarkable contribution of dispersoids on strength and creep resistance at 300 °C is present.
• High thermal stability of dispersoids during long-term high temperature holding is discovered.
• Potential applications of 3004 alloy at elevated temperature are explored.

In this study, the potential applications of Al–Mn–Mg 3004 alloy at elevated temperature have been evaluated through the systematic study of the precipitation behavior of α-Al(MnFe)Si dispersoids and their effect on material properties during precipitation treatment and long-term thermal holding. The results demonstrate a significant dispersion strengthening effect caused by the precipitation of fine uniformly distributed dispersoids during precipitation treatment. The peak compression yield strength (YS) at 300 °C of the experimental 3004 alloy can reach as high as 78 MPa due to a large volume fraction (~ 2.95 vol.%) of α-Al(MnFe)Si dispersoids. The dispersoids are found to be thermally stable at 300 °C for up to 1000 h of holding, leading to consistently high mechanical performance and creep resistance. The superior and stable YS and creep resistance at 300 °C enables the 3004 alloy to be applied to weight-sensitive applications at elevated temperatures.

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