Abstract
The 2017 aerospace aluminum alloy has been characterized through metallographic investigations. A series of precipitation strengthening and age-Hardening heat treatment processes involving solution treatment at 550 degrees C followed by quenching (and tempering for various time-durations) were conducted for the 2017 alloy. Microstructural characterization of the heat-treated samples showed effective distribution of fine 0' particles in the a-matrix of the aluminum alloy; these microstructural features enable us to develop proper precipitation strengthening and age-hardening heat-treatment process parameters for the 2017 aluminum alloy for aerospace application.