Effect of icosahedral phase formation on the stress corrosion cracking(SCC)behaviors of the as-cast Mg-8%Li(in wt.%)based alloys

Through exploring the stress corrosion cracking(SCC)behaviors of the as-cast Mg-8%Li and Mg-8%Li-6%Zn-1.2%Y alloys in a 0.1 M NaCl solution,it revealed that the SCC susceptibility index(I_(SCC))of the Mg-8%Li alloy was 47%,whilst the I_(SCC)of the Mg-8%Li-6%Zn-1.2%Y alloy was 68%.Surface,cross-sectional and fractography observations indicated that for the Mg-8%Li alloy,theα-Mg/β-Li interfaces acted as the preferential crack initiation sites and propagation paths during the SCC process.With regard to the Mg-8%Li-6%Zn-1.2%Y alloy,the crack initiation sites included the I-phase and the interfaces of I-phase/β-Li andα-Mg/β-Li,and the preferential propagation paths were the I-phase/β-Li andα-Mg/β-Li interfaces.Moreover,the SCC of the two alloys was concerned with hydrogen embrittlement(HE)mechanism.

Effect of heat treatment on stress corrosion cracking, fracture toughness and strength of 7085 aluminum alloy

The influences of heat treatment on stress corrosion cracking （SCC）, fracture toughness and strength of 7085 aluminum alloy were investigated by slow strain rate testing, Kahn tear testing combined with scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results show that the fracture toughness of T74 overaging is increased by 22.9% at the expense of 13.6% strength, and retrogression and reaging （RRA） enhances fracture toughness 14.2% without reducing the strength compared with T6 temper. The fracture toughness of dual-retrogression and reaging （DRRA） is equivalent to that of T74 with an increased strength of 14.6%. The SCC resistance increases in the order： T6〈RRA〈DRRA≈T74. The differences of fracture toughness and SCC were explained on the basis of the role of matrix precipitates and grain boundary orecioitates.

Effects of silicon content on microstructure and stress corrosion cracking resistance of 7050 aluminum alloy

Evolution of microstructure and stress corrosion cracking （SCC） susceptibility of 7050 aluminum alloy with 0.094%, 0.134% and 0.261% Si （mass fraction） in T7651 condition have been investigated. The results show that the area fraction of Mg2Si increases from 0.16% to 1,48% and the size becomes coarser, while the area fraction of the other coarse phases including Al2CuMg, Mg（Al,Cu,Zn）2 and A17Cu2Fe decreases from 2.42% to 0.78% with Si content increasing from 0.094% to 0.261%. The tensile strength and elongation of 7050-T7651 alloys is decreased with the increase of Si content by slow strain rate test （SSRT） in ambient air. However, electrical conductivity is improved and SCC susceptibility is reduced with the increase of Si content by SSRT in corrosion environment with 3.5% NaCl solution.

Stress corrosion cracking behaviour of 7xxx aluminum alloys: A literature review

Stress corrosion cracking （SCC） is degradation of mechanical properties under the combined action of stress and corrosive environment of the susceptible material. Out of eight series of aluminium alloys, 2xxx, 5xxx and 7xxx aluminium alloys are susceptible to SCC. Among them, 7xxx series aluminium alloys have specific application in aerospace, military and structural industries due to superior mechanical properties. In these high strength 7xxx aluminium alloys, SCC plays a vital factor of consideration, as these failures are catastrophic during the service. The understanding of SCC behaviour possesses critical challenge for this alloy. The main aim of this review paper is to understand the effect of constituent alloying elements on the response of microstructural variation in various heat-treated conditions on SCC behavior. Further, review was made for improving the SCC resistance using thermomechanical treatments and by surface modifications of 7xxx alloys. Apart from a brief review on SCC of 7xxx alloys, this paper presents the effect of stress and pre-strain, effect of constituent alloying elements in the alloy, and the effect of environments on SCC behaviour. In addition, the SCC behaviours of weldments, 7xxx metal matrix composites and also laser surface modifications were also reviewed.

Effect of pre-deformation on the stress corrosion cracking susceptibility of aluminum alloy 2519

The effects of pre-deformation and strain rate on the stress corrosion cracking （SCC） behavior of aluminum alloy 2519 in air and in 3.5% NaCI water solution were investigated by means of slow strain rate tension （SSRT）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results indicate that the alloy is susceptible to SCC in 3.5% NaCI water solution and not in air. At the same pre-deformation, the alloy is more susceptible to SCC at 1.33 × 10^-5 s^-1 than at 6.66 × 10^-5 s^-1. Moreover, it is more susceptible to SCC at free pre-deformation than at 10% pre-deformation at the same strain rate. The number of 0 precipitated along the grain boundaries is reduced and distributed discontinuously, at the same time, the precipitate-free zones （PFZ） become narrow and the susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking is reduced after 10% pre-deformation.

Effect of quenching rate on microstructure and stress corrosion cracking of 7085 aluminum alloy

The influence of quenching rate on microstructure and stress corrosion cracking （SCC） of 7085 aluminum alloy was investigated by tensile test, slow strain rate test （SSRT）, combined with scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM） and electrochemical test. The results show that with decreasing the quenching rate, the size and inter-particle distance of the grain boundary precipitates as well as precipitation free zone width increase, but the copper content of grain boundary precipitates decreases. The SCC resistance of the samples increases first and then decreases, which is attributed to the copper content, size and distribution of grain boundary precipitates.

Diversity of intergranular corrosion and stress corrosion cracking for 5083 Al alloy with different grain sizes

5083 Al alloy sheets with different grain sizes(8.7-79.2 μm) were obtained by cold rolling and annealing. Their microstructures, intergranular corrosion(IGC), stress corrosion cracking(SCC), and crack propagation behaviors were investigated. The results showed that samples with coarse grains exhibit better IGC resistance with a corrosion depth of 15 μm. The slow strain rate test results revealed that fine-grained samples exhibit better SCC resistance with a susceptibility index(ISSRT) of 11.2%. Furthermore, based on the crack propagation mechanism, grain refinement can improve the SCC resistance by increasing the number of grain boundaries to induce the corrosion crack propagation along a tortuous path. The grains with {011} orientation could hinder crack propagation by orientating it toward the low-angle grain boundary region. The crack in the fine-grained material slowly propagates due to the tortuous path, and low H;and Cl;concentrations.

Electrochemical investigation on the hydrogen permeation behavior of 7075-T6 Al alloy and its influence on stress corrosion cracking

The hydrogen permeation behavior and stress corrosion cracking （SCC） susceptibility of precharged 7075-T6 A1 alloy were inves- tigated in this paper. Devanthan-Stachurski （D-S） cell tests were used to measure the apparent hydrogen diffusivity and hydrogen permeation current density of specimens immersed in 3.5wt% NaCl solution. Electrochemical experiment results show that the SCC susceptibility is low during anodic polarization. Both corrosion pits and hydrogen-induced cracking are evident in scanning electron microscope images after the specimens have been charging for 24 h.

Correlations among stress corrosion cracking,grain-boundary microchemistry,and Zn content in high Zn-containing Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys

The correlations among the corrosion behaviour,grain-boundary microchemistry,and Zn content in Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys were studied using stress corrosion cracking(SCC)and intergranular corrosion(IGC)tests,combined with scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and high-angle angular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy(HAADF-STEM)microstructural examinations.The results showed that the tensile strength enhancement of high Zn-containing Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys was mainly attributed to the high density nano-scale matrix precipitates.The SCC plateau velocity for the alloy with 11.0 wt.%Zn was about an order of magnitude greater than that of the alloy with 7.9 wt.%Zn,which was mainly associated with Zn enrichment in grain boundary precipitates and wide precipitates-free zones.The SCC mechanisms of different Zn-containing alloys were discussed based on fracture features,grain-boundary microchemistry,and electrochemical properties.

Influence of aging on microstructure,mechanical properties and stress corrosion cracking of 7136 aluminum alloy

The microstructure,mechanical properties and stress corrosion cracking(SCC)of 7136 aluminum alloy under T 6,T 79 and T 74 aging treatments were studied and the effects of microstructure on the mechanical properties and SCC were discussed.The results show that the ultimate tensile strength and yield strength of the aging 7136 alloys follow this sequence from high to low:T 6>T 79>pre-aging>T 74.For 7136 Al alloy after T 6 aging,the average diameter of the precipitates was(5.7±1.7)nm,and the diameter of 60.7%(number fraction)precipitates was 2−6 nm,leading to a good precipitation strengthening.The K_(IC)of T 74-aging alloy is 38.2 MPa·m^(1/2),which is 26.1%more than that of T 6-aging alloy and 17.5%more than that of T 79-aging alloy.The improved fracture toughness in T 74-aging alloy is mainly due to the reduction of the strength difference between intragranular and grain boundary.The SCC resistance of the aging 7136 alloys follows this sequence from high to low:T 79>T 74>T 6.After T 79 aging,the discontinuous grain boundary precipitates and narrow precipitate free zones were obtained in 7136 alloy,which was beneficial to SCC resistance.

Stress corrosion cracking susceptibility of a high strength Mg-7%Gd-5%Y-1%Nd-0.5%Zr alloy

Through performing the tensile tests with different strain rates in 3.5 wt.%NaCl solution,the stress corrosion cracking(SCC)behavior and the effect of strain rate on the SCC susceptibility of an extruded Mg-7%Gd-5%Y-1%Nd-0.5%Zr(EW75)alloy have been investigated.Results demonstrate that the alloy is susceptible to SCC when the strain rate is lower than 5×10^(−6) s^(−1).At the strain rate of 1×10^(−6) s^(−1),the SCC susceptibility index(I_(SCC))is 0.96 and the elongation-to-failure(ε_(f))is only 0.11%.Fractography indicates that the brittle quasi-cleavage feature is very obvious and become more pronounced with decreasing the strain rate.Further analysis confirms that the cracking mode is predominantly transgranular,but the partial intergranular cracking at some localized area can also occur.Meanwhile,it seems that the crack propagation path is unrelated to the existing phase particles.

An investigation on the performance of stress corrosion cracking in aluminum-copper alloy welded joint

With the resistance to stress corrosion of the base metal as a reference, the contrast result of stress corrosion cracking （ SCC） susceptibility of aluminum-copper alloy 2219 and 2014 welded joints under different welding processes （ VP-TIG welding, HF-TIG hybrid welding, laser-TIG hybrid welding and laser HF-TIG hybrid welding） is obtained via the slow strain rate testing （ SSRT） , scanning electron microscope （ SEM） and microstructure observation auxiliary technologies. Test results show that the joints of aluminum alloy 2219, welded by hybrid welding processes, have superior resistance to stress corrosion compared to those welded by the VP-TIG welding process in varying degrees, especially, the joint welded by the laser HF-TIG hybrid welding process, where the resistance to stress corrosion is almost the same as that of the base material. However, the HF or laser hybrid welding effect is not significant under the same welding conditions for welded joints of aluminum alloy 2014.

Mechanical properties and stress corrosion cracking behaviour of AZ31 magnesium alloy laser weldments

An AZ31 HP magnesium alloy was laser beam welded in autogenous mode with AZ61 filler using Nd-YAG laser system.Microstructural examination revealed that the laser beam weld metals obtained with or without filler material had an average grain size of about 12 μm.The microhardness and the tensile strength of the weldments were similar to those of the parent alloy.However,the stress corrosion cracking （SCC） behaviour of both the weldments assessed by slow strain rate tensile （SSRT） tests in ASTM D1384 solution was found to be slightly inferior to that of the parent alloy.It was observed that the stress corrosion cracks originated in the weld metal and propagated through the weld metal-HAZ regions in the autogenous weldment.On the other hand,in the weldment obtained with AZ61 filler material,the crack initiation and propagation was in the HAZ region.The localized damage of the magnesium hydroxide/oxide film formed on the surface of the specimens due to the exposure to the corrosive environment during the SSRT tests was found to be responsible for the SCC.

Stress corrosion cracking of magnesium alloys:A review

Magnesium(Mg)alloys have been widely used in automobile,aviation,computer,and other fields due to their lightweight,high specific strength and stiffness,low pollution,and good electromagnetic shielding performance.However,the chemical stability of Mg alloys is poor,especially in the corrosive medium environment with high stress corrosion sensitivity,which causes sudden damage to structural components and restricts their application field.In recent years,owing to the increasing failure rate of engineering structures caused by stress corrosion of Mg alloys,it has become necessary to understand and pay more attention to the stress corrosion cracking(SCC)behavior of Mg alloys.In this paper,the SCC mechanisms and test methods of Mg alloys have been summarized.The recent research progress on SCC of Mg alloys has been reviewed from the aspects of alloying,preparation process,surface modification,corrosive medium,and strain rate.More importantly,future research trends in the field of SCC of Mg alloys have also been proposed.

Investigation of Stress Corrosion Cracking Initiation of 7A52 Aluminum Alloy

The stress corrosion cracking（SCC） behaviour of 7A52 aluminum alloy in air and in 3.5% NaCl solution was researched by slow strain rate test（SSRT） and SEM-EDS. The SCC susceptibility was estimated with the loss of the reduction in area. The experimental results indicate that the SCC susceptibility of 7A52 aluminum alloy in 3.5% chloride solution is the highest at strain rate of 1×10-6 s-1. The lowest one is under the condition of 1×10-5 s-1. Stress concentration and anode dissolving around Al-Fe-Mn intermetallics initiate micropores which will result in microcracks. The existence of intermetallics in the microstructure may play an important role in understanding the SCC initiation mechanisms of 7A52 aluminum alloy.

Behavior of Stress Corrosion Cracking in a Magnesium Alloy

Slow strain rate testing （SSRT） was employed to study the stress corrosion cracking （SCC） behavior of ZE41 magnesium alloy in 0.01 M NaCl solution. Smooth tensile specimens with different thicknesses were strained dynamically in both longitudinal and transverse direction under permanent immersions at a strain rate of 10-6 s-1. It is found that ZE41 magnesium alloy is susceptible to SCC in 0.01 M NaCl solution. The SCC susceptibility of the thinner specimen is lower than that of the thicker specimen. Also, the longitudinal specimens are slightly more susceptible to SCC than the transverse specimens. The SCC mechanism of magnesium alloy is attributed to the combination of anodic dissolution with hydrogen embrittlement.

Effects of applied potential on the stress corrosion cracking behavior of 7003 aluminum alloy in acid and alkaline chloride solutions

Potentiodynamic polarization tests and slow strain rate test（SSRT） in combination with fracture morphology observations were conducted to investigate the stress corrosion cracking（SCC） behavior of 7003 aluminum alloy（AA7003） in acid and alkaline chloride solutions under various applied potentials（Ea）. The results show that AA7003 is to a certain extent susceptible to SCC via anodic dissolution（AD） at open-circuit potential（OCP） and is highly susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement（HE） at high negative Ea in the solutions with p H levels of 4 and 11. The susceptibility increases with negative shift in the potential when Ea is less than-1000 m V vs. SCE. However, the susceptibility distinctly decreases because of the inhibition of AD when Ea is equal to-1000 m V vs. SCE. In addition, the SCC susceptibility of AA7003 in the acid chloride solution is higher than that in the alkaline solution at each potential. Moreover, the effect of hydrogen on SCC increases with increasing hydrogen ion concentration.

Effect of high-temperature pre-precipitation on mechanical properties and stress corrosion cracking of Al-Zn-Mg alloys

In order to improve the stress corrosion cracking resistance of the weldable Al Zn Mg alloys with medium strength, the near solvus pre precipitation following high temperature solution treatment was performed on LC52 and 7039 aluminum alloys. The effect of the pre precipitation on the microstructure, age hardening and stress corrosion cracking of LC52 and 7039 alloy was investigated. The results show that the near solvus pre precipitation can be limited on grain boundary and can enhance the discontinuity of grain boundary precipitates. The stress corrosion cracking resistance of aged Al Zn Mg alloys can be improved with non deteriorated strength and plasticity via pre precipitation.

Effect of Retrogression and Reaging on Stress Corrosion Cracking of Spray Formed Al Alloy

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) resistance of a spray formed Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy underwent retrogression and reaging (RRA) was studied by slow strain rate tests in dry air and 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. The results showed that after RRA treatment, interrupted η phases at grain boundaries and slightly wide precipitate free zones could decrease SCC susceptibility of the alloy. Lots of reticular dislocations appeared in deformation process could prevent hydrogen induced cracking, and then SCC. Abundance transgranular dispersive η' phases separated out again promoted tensile strength to 759.4 MPa. The fracture ways of the specimens were dimple fracture in dry air and sub-cleavage fracture in 3.5% NaCl solution.

Stress Corrosion Crack Growth Behavior of Titanium Alloy/Bioactive Glasses Sandwiches in Simulated Human Physiological Environment

Based on a series of newly developed bioactive glasses having suitable thermo-mechanical properties to allow application as fixation agents between bone and titanium alloy biomedical implants, the stress corrosion crack growth (SCCG) behavior of their interfaces with Ti6AI4V was investigated in simulated body fluid (SBF) with the objective of discerning the salient mechanisms of crack advance and to assess the reliability of the bonds. Results indicated that crack growth rates in Ti6AI4V/glass/Ti6AI4V sandwich specimens were nearly the same as or slightly lower than those in the bulk glasses at comparable stress intensities; indeed, cracks would prefer to propagate off the interface, suggesting that the Ti6AI4V/glass interface has relatively good crack-growth resistance. Mechanistically, interfacial crack growth appears to be controlled by the classic stress corrosion mechanisms for silicate glasses, with no discernible effect of bioactivity on the SCCG behavior being observed.