Patent ID: 6858103
Filing Date: 2005-02-22
Classification: C22F

Abstract:
1. A method for optimizing alloy heat treatment by quantitatively predicting thermal growth during alloy heat treatment, the method comprising the steps of: (a) predicting a volume change due to transformations in an each precipitate phase; (b) predicting an equilibrium phase fraction of the each precitate phase; (c) predicting a kinetic growth coefficient of the each precipitate phase; (d) predicting thermal growth in a precipitation-hardened Al —Si—Cu alloy according to a thermal growth model using the volume change due to transformations in the each precipitate phase; the equilibrium phase fraction of the each precipitate phase; and the kinetic growth coefficient of the each precipitate phase, wherein the thermal growth model may be expressed mathematically as: where is volume change due to transformations in precipitate phase i, ƒ T is temperature, t is time, and γ is fraction of solute lost to eutectic phases; and