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A. Falahati, M. Ahmadi, P. Lang, E. Povoden-Karadeniz, P. Warczok, E. Kozeschnik:
"Thermo-kinetic computer simulation of precipitation and age-hardening effect in Al-Mg-Si alloys with arbitrary heat treatment";
Keynote Lecture: Materials Science and Technology 2011, Columbus, Ohio, USA; 2010-10-17 - 2010-10-21; in: "MS&T´11", (2011), ISBN: 978-0-87339-758-2; 8 pages.

The microstructure evolution in Al-Mg-Si alloys is characterized by a
complex sequence of precipitation processes. During the heat treatment, depending on the time-temperature history of the material, we observe the simultaneous nucleation, growth and dissolution of different types of precipitates. By using thermo-kinetic simulation and taking into account the evolution of quenched-in vacancies, uantitative predictions of important microstructural properties, such as number densities of precipitates and particle sizes, can be made. Based on these data, the evolution of the yield strength as a function of aging time and temperature by any arbitrary heat treatment can be calculated. By simulating complex heat treatments with the software MatCalc, the evolution of different phases is discussed and the predicted yield strength is compared to obtained experimental results. The strengthening model takes into account the contributions of the intrinsic yield strength of the aluminum matrix, solid solution hardening and precipitation hardening.

Modeling, Al-Mg-Si, Metastable phases, Thermo-kinetic simulation, Heat treatment