Achieving Superior Mechanical Properties for Al‐Zn‐Mg‐Cu Alloy by Coupling Design of Powder Press‐Forming, Deformation, and Aging

ABSTRACT Enhancing the strength of 7000 series high‐strength Al alloys remains a critical challenge to meet the demands of increasingly demanding service environments. In this study, a novel approach is proposed for developing high‐performance Al alloys through a combination of powder mechanical alloying, powder press‐forming, rolling deformation, and aging treatment composite process. The resulting high‐performance oxide‐dispersion‐strengthened (ODS) 7000 series Al alloy exhibits an ultrahigh yield strength of 785 ± 12 MPa, an ultimate tensile strength of 805 ± 7 MPa, and a moderate elongation to failure of 5.6% ± 0.5%, achieving an excellent balance between strength and ductility. The excellent mechanical properties of high‐performance ODS Al alloys are attributed to the synergistic effect of multiple strengthening mechanisms. Detailed microstructural analyses were carried out to investigate the hierarchical microstructural features responsible for the enhanced mechanical performance, in which precipitation strengthening is identified as the dominant strengthening mechanism. These findings provide valuable insights for the design of advanced Al alloys intended for structural applications under demanding service conditions.