First step of precipitation hardening for aluminum, nickel, titanium and precipitation-hardening stainless alloys: heat into a single-phase field (about 495 to 540 °C for many aluminum alloys, around 1,040 °C for 17-4 PH) and quench to hold the alloying elements in supersaturated solution. Aluminum parts need a short quench delay, often 15 seconds or less and shorter still for thin sheet, or strength and corrosion resistance suffer.
6061 brackets are out of solution treating, straighten them now before they age up.
Also heard as
- solution heat treat
- solution anneal
- solutionizing
- SHT
Related terms
Aging
Holding a solution-treated alloy at room or moderate temperature so fine particles form and strengthen it.
Precipitation hardening
Strengthening an alloy by forming very fine particles inside its grains through solution treating and aging.
Quench
To cool hot metal rapidly in a liquid or gas so that it hardens, or the act of doing so.