Abstract:

Requirement for highperformance aluminum alloy is increasingly severe with the development of aerospace industry. Microalloying is an important approach to improve the mechanical properties of aluminum alloys, and its research has been a global focus. The property of rareearth (RE) elements are active and easy to combine with aluminum alloy matrix and solute elements, so they can effectively improve the microstructure of Al-Zn-Mg-(Cu) aluminum alloy and significantly enhance its comprehensive performance. Microalloying of non rare earth elements can compensate the negatives of that of rare earth elements, so it is widely applied. This paper reviews the function mechanism of rareearth elements Sc, Er, and Ce and regular elements Zr, Ag, Sn, Cr and Sr to the microalloying of Al-Zn-Mg-(Cu) aluminum alloys. We further present some suggestions for the development directions of microalloying of Al-Zn-Mg-(Cu) aluminum alloys.

Key words: Al-Zn-Mg-(Cu) aluminum alloy, microalloying, alloying element