Desensitization of Aluminum Alloys Using Pulsed Electron Beams

摘要

A method for desensitizing an aluminum alloy is presented. A desired location on the surface of an aluminum alloy sample is exposed to a controlled pulsed electron beam. The pulsed electron beam heats a shallow layer of the metal alloy having a desired depth at the desired location on the surface of the sample to a temperature between a solvus temperature and an annealing temperature of the metal alloy to controllably reduce a degree of sensitization of the metal alloy sample at the desired location, an extent of a reduction in the degree of sensitization being controllable by varying at least one of a voltage, a current density, a pulse duration, a pulse frequency and a number of pulses of the electron beam.

主权项

1. A method for controllably desensitizing a metal alloy sample, comprising:
exposing a specific desired location on a surface of the sample to a controlled pulsed electron beam having a voltage greater than 100 kV to about 650 kV: wherein the electron beam is controllably directed to the specific desired location without exposing other areas on the sample to the electron beam; and wherein the electron beam heats a shallow surface layer of the metal alloy having a desired depth at the specific desired location on the surface of the sample to a controlled temperature between a solvus temperature and an annealing temperature of the metal alloy without heating a bulk of the sample to controllably reduce a degree of sensitization of the metal alloy sample at the specific desired location, an extent of a reduction in the degree of sensitization being controllable by varying at least one of a voltage, a current density, a pulse duration, and a pulse frequency of the electron beam.