Modification of residual stress and microstructure in aluminium alloy by cryogenic treatment

The effect of cryogenic treatment (CT) combined with solution and ageing treatment on the residual stress and microstructure of 7050 aluminium alloy was investigated. The relationship between residual stress and microstructure was discussed. The results showed that compared to solution–ageing treatment (SA), CT after solution and before ageing (SCA) exhibited lower level and higher uniformity of residual stress. The highest dimensional stability was also obtained by the process of SCA. It was found that CT induced the fine precipitates through the lattice contraction under cryogenic temperature. Furthermore, the execution of CT in advance would also promote the uniform distribution of precipitates in the subsequent ageing by releasing and homogenising the residual stress.