Single crystal films in (001) orientation, about 1500 Å thick, were produced by R-F sputtering of Al + 4 wt % Cu onto cleaved KCl at 150°C substrate temperature. The as-deposited films contained numerous θ-CuAl2 particles (C16 structure) about 0.1μ in size. They were transferred onto Mo screens, solution treated and rapidly cooled (within about ½ min) so as to retain a homogeneous solid solution. Subsequently, the films were aged in vacuum at various temperatures in order to induce precipitation and to compare structures and morphologies of precipitate particles in Al-Cu films with those found in age hardened bulk material.Aging for 3 weeks at 60°C or 48 hrs at 100°C did not produce any detectable change in high resolution micrographs or diffraction patterns. In this range Guinier-Preston zones (GP) form in quenched bulk material. The absence of GP in the present experiments in this aging range is perhaps due to the cooling rate employed, which might be more equivalent to an aged and reverted bulk material than to a quenched one.
Effect of Prior Austenite Grain-Size on the Annealing Twin Density and Hardness in the Austenitic Stainless Steel