Inelasticity and precipitation of germanium from a solid solution in Al-Ge binary alloys

The influence of precipitation of germanium atoms in a solid solution on the dependence of the inelasticity characteristics on the germanium content in aluminum-germanium alloys prepared by directional crystallization has been studied. It has been shown that the Young’s modulus defect, the amplitude-dependent decrement, and the microplastic flow stress at a specified cyclic strain amplitude have extreme values at the eutectic germanium content in the alloy. The eutectic composition of the alloy undergoes a ductilebrittle transition. It has been found that there is a correlation between the dependences of the Young’s modulus defect, amplitude-dependent decrement, microplastic flow stress, and specific entropy of the exothermal process of germanium precipitation on the germanium content in the hypoeutectic alloy. The concentration dependences of the inelasticity characteristics and their changes after annealing have been explained by the change in the resistance to the motion of intragrain dislocations due to different structures of the Guinier-Preston zones formed during the precipitation of germanium atoms.