Abstract: Hardness of the TiB2/7075 composite increased with increasing deformation temperature. In the annealed TiB2/7075 composite, a great amount of fiber-like MgZn2 phases (about 1 mum in length) and small MgZn2 phases (about 100 nm in size) were precipitated nearby the grain boundaries where the TiB2 particles exist. After deformation at 300℃, some of the large precipitates and all the small precipitates in these area dissolved into the matrix, meanwhile, fine precipitates were formed in grains. After deformation at 450℃, all the precipitates in the annealed composite dissolved into the matrix, and new phases were precipitated in grains. The dissolution of the large fiber-like precipitate makes the saturation level of the matrix increased and leads to an increased solution hardening and natural aging, which contribute much to the hardening effect.

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