The application of advances in quench factor analysis property prediction to the heat treatment of 7010 aluminium alloy

7010 is an Al-Zn-Mg-Cu forging and plate alloy, primarily used in the aerospace industry for the production of key structural components. These alloys develop their strength through the development of a precipitation-hardened microstructure produced by ageing of a quenched super-saturated solid solution. For over 30 years Evancho and Staley developed quench factor analysis model has been applied successfully to the prediction of post-quenched physical properties, in aged aluminium alloys. In recent years improvements have been made to the initial model incorporating the effect of remaining solute on nucleation rate as a function of temperature. This extends the usefulness of the quench factor approach to beyond the 15% loss in properties, allowing the prediction of properties in both fast-quenched and slow-cooled conditions such as in annealing. Tensile time-temperature-property (TTP) or 'C' curves produced by an interrupted quench technique are presented for 7010-T76 including quench factor analysis and subsequent modifications based on an improved non-isokinetic model.