Precipitate/matrix incompatibilities related to the {111}Al Ω plates in an Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloy

Abstract The atomic structure of Ω plates forming on {111}Al planes in an Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloy has been investigated by Z-contrast atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging and ab initio density functional theory calculations. Ω plates with different thicknesses have been studied in two peak-aged conditions: 150 °C for 24 h and 190 °C for 1.5 h. Volumetric and structural incompatibilities as unrelaxed misfit strains and shear components, respectively, between the Ω plates involving orthorhombic θ-phase fragments and Al matrix were found to be in the plates with thicknesses from 0 to 2.5 cθ (a normal direction to {111}Al). Two types of shear components: [−101]Al // [0−10]θ (τI) and [1−21]Al // [100]θ (τII) related to precipitate/matrix structural incompatibilities have been predicted by calculations. The shear components τI and τII have been found to be energetically favorable in the plates with different thicknesses. Comparing τI and τII absolute values in supercells involving the plates with different thicknesses, 2 cθ thick plates have a shear component close to zero. All the plates analyzed have precipitate/matrix volumetric incompatibilities with Al matrix as misfit strains along [111]Al // [001]θ, which distribute non-uniformly across the plate thickness. Large misfit strains concentrate at the broad plate interfaces, i.e. in Ag2Cu and Cui layers, and cause a prohibitively high barrier to thickening of the Ω precipitates.