Abstract

This paper presents new methods of thermal processing of the aluminum alloys. It analyses the effects of boiling treatment of alloys Al–Cu and Al–Si in an oxidizing atmosphere on their microstructure, hydrogen content and the coefficient of linear thermal expansion (CLE). An increase of boiling time from 15 to 75 hours results in an initial increase in the hydrogen content in alloys later followed by a decline in the hydrogen content. These changes in the hydrogen content correlate with the dynamics of alloys’ microstructure and their CLE. This study shows that atmosphere with a high oxygen content induces an acceleration of diffusion processes in aluminum alloys. If boiling time does not exceed 30 hours, the hydrogen content in a solid solution and etchability of grain boundaries of α-solid solution decrease and intermediate phases get partially dissolved. We demonstrate that boiling treatment of aluminum alloys in an oxidizing atmosphere leads to a decline of the CLE measured under the temperature 50-450°С which is especially strong when measured under the temperature 250-350°С.