The AA7150 aluminum alloy was compressed to various strains at strain rate of 10 s（-1） and temperatures of 300 °C and 450 °C, respectively. Flow stress behavior, substructure evolution, morphology and spatial distribution of precipitates were studied based on differential scanning calorimetry analysis and transmission electron microscope observation. The results showed that dynamic flow softening occurs during hot deformation. The main softening mechanism could be concluded as dynamic recovery at 300 °C and continuous dynamic recrystallization at 450 °C. The clear heterogeneous spatial distributions of precipitates are found during deformation and enhanced with increased strain. Higher contents of Cu in T phases are found at 450 °C than at 300 °C, which present a transformation process from T phases to S phases as well. The associated evidence of dynamic precipitation on dislocations and particle-stimulated nucleation, as well as the detailed microstructural inherited relationship and morphological texture（particles preferred orientation） were characterized.
The Al?4.10Cu?1.42Mg?0.57Mn?0.12Zr alloy was compressed to different strains at deformation temperature of 300 oC and strain rate of 10 s?1 on Gleeble?1500 system. The dynamic complex microstructures evolutions were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The true stress?true strain curves exhibited a peak stress at critical strain, after which the flow stresses decreased monotonically, showing a dynamic flow softening. As the strain increased, the dislocation tangled to cell structure and sub-grain structure, which indicated the occurrence of dynamic recovery during deformation. Dynamic precipitations ofS (Al2CuMg),θ (Al2Cu) and Al3Zr phase were accelerated and coarsened by deformation. ContinuousS phases precipitated in the Al matrix and discontinuousS phases were found to be nucleated near the Al3Zr phase and at the sub-grain boundary. The flow softening mechanism was resulted from the reduction of dislocation density which attributed to dynamic recovery and precipitates coarsening.
