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 heat treatment process on stress corrosion cracking and microstructures of 7A05 Al alloy plate

In order to improve the stress corrosion cracking(SCC) resistance of 7A05Al alloy, four different heat treatment processes were performed. After the heat treatments, the stress corrosion cracking resistance, mechanical properties and microstructures of 7A05A1 alloys were studied. The results show that the retrogression and reaging(RRA) treated specimens possess the highest SCC resistance with slightly reduced strength compared with the other specimens. Thus RRA is the best process in terms of the optimal combination of SCC resistance and strength. Further TEM observation reveals that the RRA treated specimens are characterized by the fine equiaxed grains, dispersed second phase and wide PFZ. The pre-aging treated specimens show lower SCC resistance but higher strength as compared with the RRA treated ones. Equiaxed grains are also observed in the pre-aging treated samples by TEM, indicating that the anisotropy is eliminated. However, the dual aging and deformation plus aging treated specimens are demonstrated by large anisotropy.

EFFECTS OF HEAT TREATMENT AND ENVIRONMENT ON CRACK PROPAGATION RATE IN STEEL GC-4 UNDER CORROSION FATIGUE AND STRESS CORROSION

Comparative investigations were carried out of the effect of heat treatment regimes Jor steel GC-4(40CrMnSiMoVA)on its crack propagating rates,from corrosion fatigue, (da/dN)_(CF),or stress corrosion cracking,(da/dt)_(SCC),in media with various constituents and pH values.Both(da/dN)_(CF) and(da/dt)_(SCC) accelerate with the increase of yield stress of the steel,yet the former is far less than the later.In comparison with media,the (da/dt)_(SCC) in distilled water is slightly greater than that in 3.5% NaCl solution,and the (da/dN)_(CF) in distilled water is far less than that in 3.5% NaCl solution.With the pH value increasing in 3.5% NaCl solution,the(da/dN)_(CF) lowers down and the(da/dt)_(SCC) speeds up.An explanation was also proposed with concept of the cyclic hardening and softening at crack tip,as well as the crack closure and occluded cell effect.

Effects of Aging Treatment on Intergranular Corrosion and Stress Corrosion Cracking Behavior of AA7003

In order to study the effects of aging treatment on the intergranular corrosion（IGC） and stress corrosion cracking（SCC） of 7003 aluminum alloy（AA7003）, the intergranular corrosion test, electrochemical test and slow strain rate test（SSRT）, combined with optical microscopy（OM） and scanning electron microscopy（SEM） as well as transmission electron microscopy（TEM） observations have been carried out. The IGC and electrochemical test results showed that the IGC resistance of AA7003 for peak aged（PA） temper is the lowest, with double peak aged（DPA） the moderate, and retrogression and re-aging（RRA） the highest among three tempers, which is attributed to the continuous feature of precipitation on grain boundary of PA temper and the interrupted feature of precipitation on grain boundary of DPA and RRA tempers, as well as the wide precipitation free zones（PFZ） of RRA temper. In addition, the SSRT results indicated that all three tempers AA7003 are susceptible to SCC in IGC solution, and the change tendency of SCC susceptibility（ISCC） of AA7003 for three tempers follows the order： ISCC（RRA）

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 deteriorated microstructures on stress corrosion cracking of X70 pipeline steel in acidic soil environment

In order to investigate stress corrosion cracking （SCC） of X70 pipeline steel and its weld joint area in acidic soil environ- ment in China, two simulating methods were used： one was to obtain bad microstructures in heat affected zone by annealing at 1300 ℃ for 10 min and then, quenching in water; the other was to get different simulating solutions of acidic soil in Yingtan in south- east China. The SCC susceptibilities of X70 pipeline steel before and after quenching in the simulating solutions were analyzed using slow stain rate test （SSRT） and potentiodynamic polarization technique to investigate the SCC electrochemical mechanism of different microstructures further. The results show that SCC appears in the original microstructure and the quenched microstructure as the polarization potential decreases. Hydrogen revolution accelerates SCC of the two tested materials within the range of-850 mV to -1200 mV vs. SCE. Microstructural hardening and grain coarsening also increase SCC. The SCC mechanisms are different, anodic dissolution is the key of causing SCC as the polarization potential is higher than the null current potential, and hydrogen embrittlement will play a more important role to SCC as the polarization potential lower than the null current potential.

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.

Effect of Aging on Fracture Toughness and Stress Corrosion Cracking Resistance of Forged 7475 Aluminum Alloy

The effects of two-stage aging and retrogression and reaging heat treatment on the fracture toughness and stress corrosion cracking resistance of 7475 alloy were studied. The fracture toughness, conductivity and strength of samples of nine groups under duplex aging conditions and three retrogression and reaging heat treatments were also measured. Incorporating the microstructure and property, we found that when the condition of the first order aging kept identical, the fracture toughness and stress corrosion cracking resistance increase with aging time and the second aging temperature. The optimal treatment conditions are （ 115℃×7h ＋ 185 ℃×13h） among all tested two-stage aging treatments. Although the 7475 alloy treated by RRA method shows the highest strength and its stress corrosion cracking resistance after twenty minutes retrogression can also reach the same level as those by the optimal treatment of （115℃×7h＋ 185℃×13h ）, the fracture toughness is even low.

Strengthening-toughening of 7xxx series high strength aluminum alloys by heat treatment

The effects of stepped solution heat treatments on the dissolution of soluble remnant constituents and mechanical properties of 7055 aluminum alloy were investigated. It was shown that a suitable pretreatment at lower temperature can enable complete dissolution of the constituent particles in 7055 alloy without overheating by subsequent high temperature solution treatment. This in turn increased the tensile strength and fracture toughness of 7055 alloy to 805 MPa and 41.5 MPa·m 1/2 respectively, with approximately 9% tensile elongation. The near solvus pre precipitation following after high temperature solution treatment was also studied on 7055 aluminum alloy. The effect of the pre precipitation on the microstructure, age hardening and stress corrosion cracking of 7055 alloy was investigated. The optical and transimission electron microscopy observation show that the near solvus pre precipitation can be limited to grain boundary and enhance the discontinuity of grain boundary precipitates in the subsequent ageing. The stress corrosion cracking resistance of aged 7055 alloy can be improved via the pre precipitation with non deteriorated strength and plasticity.

Effect of Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Stress Rupture Properties of a Ni–Mo–Cr–Fe Base Corrosion-Resistant Superalloy

The influences of heat treatment and test condition on the microstructure and stress rupture properties of a Ni–Mo–Cr–Fe base corrosion-resistant superalloy have been investigated in this paper. Optical microscope and scanning electron microscope were employed for the microstructure observation, and X-ray diffraction, electron probe micro-analyzer, and transmission electron microscope were used for phase determination. It was found that the grain size increased and the volume fractions of initial M_6C carbides decreased along with the increase in solution treatment temperature. When tested at 650 °C/320 MPa, the stress rupture lives decreased with the increase in solution treatment temperature, but the stress rupture lives increased slightly at first and then decreased for the samples solution heat treated at 1220 °C when tested at 700 °C/240 MPa. The elongations showed the descendent trends under these two conditions. The stress rupture life and elongation for the aged samples all showed a noticeable improvement at 650 °C/320 MPa, but there was no noticeable improvement at 700 °C/240 MPa. The reasons can be attributed to the grain size, test conditions, and the initial and secondary carbides.

Corrosion leaking of preheater weldment in alumina factories

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and anticorrosion measures of TU42C weld-joint were studied by constant load experiments and pickling experiments. The results show that in 40%(mass fraction) NaOH solution at 110℃, caustic SCC occurs in TU42C weld-joints at the applied potential of-1020mV(vs SCE) for 3d while at the potential of-950mV(vs SCE) for 10d. All the cracks are intergranular. In the 10% sulfuric acid, the cracks have the most negative self-corrosion potential-432.5mV(vs SCE) and are active to be further corroded by the acid. Because of the same corrosion behaviour as the lab weldment, preheater’s cracking in alumina factories is attributed to the combining actions of previous caustic SCC in Bayer solutions and continuous acid corrosion by pickling with the addition of RD. The following measures are effective to prevent the corrosion failure of preheater, such as postweld heat treatment at 620℃ to relax the residual weld stress, addition of CC3 and L826 as the corrosion inhibitors to improve the pickling and cleaning by the high pressure water instead of by pickling.

Corrosion Testing of a Heat Treated 316 L Functional Part Produced by Selective Laser Melting

Selective Laser Melting (SLM) shows a big potential among metal additive manufacturing (AM) technologies. However, the large thermal gradients and the local melting and solidification processes of SLM result in the presence of a significant amount of residual stresses in the as built parts. These internal stresses will not only affect mechanical properties, but also increase the risk of Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC). A twister used in an air extraction pump of a condenser to create a swirl in the water, was chosen as a candidate component to be produced by SLM in 316 L stainless steel. Since the main expected damage mechanism of this component in service is corrosion, corrosion tests were carried out on an as-built twister as well as on heat treated components. It was shown that a low temperature heat treatment at 450℃ had only a limited effect on the residual stress reduction and concomitant corrosion properties, while the internal stresses were significantly reduced when a high temperature heat treatment at 950℃ was applied. Furthermore, a specific stress corrosion sensitivity test proved to be a useful tool to evaluate the internal stress distribution in a specific component.

Comparison of microstructure and corrosion properties of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys 7150 and 7010

The influence of coarse Cu-bearing particles, matrix and subgrain boundary precipitates on the stress corrosion susceptibility of the Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys was investigated. The strength of 7150 alloy is about 15 MPa higher than that of 7010 alloy. The 7010 alloy exhibits higher resistance to stress corrosion cracking as compared with the 7150 alloy. The coarse Cu-bearing particles are detrimental to the resistance to stress corrosion cracking. The increase of size of matrix and subgrain boundary precipitates decreases the susceptibility of stress corrosion. The anodic dissolution and hydrogen embrittlement govern the cracking process. The severity of stress corrosion cracking is shown to be related to the coarse Cu-bearing particles, matrix and subgrain precipitates in Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys.

Microstructure and corrosion behaviour of gas tungsten arc welds of maraging steel

Superior properties of maraging steels make them suitable for the fabrication of components used for military applications like missile covering, rocket motor casing and ship hulls. Welding is the main process for fabrication of these components, while the maraging steels can be fusion welded using gas tungsten arc welding(GTAW) process. All these fabricated components require longer storage life and a major problem in welds is susceptible to stress corrosion cracking(SCC). The present study is aimed at studying the SCC behaviour of MDN 250(18% Ni) steel and its welds with respect to microstructural changes. In the present study, 5.2 mm thick sheets made of MDN 250 steel in the solution annealed condition was welded using GTAW process. Post-weld heat treatments of direct ageing(480 C for 3 h), solutionizing(815 C for 1 h) followed by ageing and homogenizing(1150 C for 1 h) followed by ageing were carried out. A mixture of martensite and austenite was observed in the microstructure of the fusion zone of solutionized and direct aged welds and only martensite in as-welded condition. Homogenization and ageing treatment have eliminated reverted austenite and elemental segregation. Homogenized welds also exhibited a marginal improvement in the corrosion resistance compared to those in the as-welded, solutionized and aged condition. Constant load SCC test data clearly revealed that the failure time of homogenized weld is much longer compared to other post weld treatments, and the homogenization treatment is recommended to improve the SCC life of GTA welds of MDN 250 Maraging steel.

Influence of Microstructures and Residual Stress on Fatigue Crack Propagation Rate of High Carbon Steels

The cold-work tool steels T10A and GCr15 have been studied with regard to the influence of austenitization temperature, tempering temperature and the residual stress on the crack propagation rate and the critical crack length. The kinds of fracture morphology have been studied too. The crack propagation rate is dependent strongly on the austenitization temperature, the tempering temperature and the surface compressional residual stress in specimens.

热处理对选区激光熔化Al-Mn-Mg-Sc-Zr合金力学性能和腐蚀行为的影响

以Al-4.77Mn-1.37Mg-0.67Sc-0.25Zr(质量分数,%)合金粉末为原料,在激光功率330 W和扫描速率700 mm/s下进行选区激光熔化(Selective laser melting,SLM)形成SLM Al-Mn-Mg-Sc-Zr合金,结合慢应变速率拉伸实验、电化学测试、析氢浸泡实验及显微组织表征手段,分析了(350℃,8 h)热处理对SLM Al-Mn-Mg-Sc-Zr合金力学性能和腐蚀行为的影响。结果表明:SLM Al-Mn-Mg-Sc-Zr合金力学性能优异,抗拉强度、屈服强度和伸长率分别为423 MPa、376 MPa和25.1%。热处理后,SLM Al-Mn-Mg-Sc-Zr合金晶内析出大量针棒状纳米Al_(6)Mn相,抗拉强度和屈服强度分别提升至509 MPa和478 MPa。此外,SLM Al-Mn-Mg-Sc-Zr合金具有良好的耐蚀性能,热处理可以促进SLM Al-Mn-Mg-Sc-Zr合金的钝化,在-0.5 V极化电位时出现钝化台阶,降低SLM Al-Mn-Mg-Sc-Zr合金的电流密度,增加SLM Al-Mn-Mg-Sc-Zr合金的阳极极化率,使SLM Al-Mn-Mg-Sc-Zr合金的平均析氢速率从0.242 mL/(cm^(2)·h)降至0.216 mL/(cm^(2)·h),应力腐蚀敏感因子从3.379%降至0.405%。与此同时,热处理也促进了晶内微米富Si相以及晶界富Mn相和Mg相的析出,增加了SLM Al-Mn-Mg-Sc-Zr合金点蚀形核位置,增大了SLM Al-Mn-Mg-Sc-Zr合金的晶界电化学成分非均匀性,降低了SLM Al-Mn-Mg-Sc-Zr合金的点蚀和晶间腐蚀抗力。

Mechanical and electrochemical characteristics evaluation in annealing treatment for ship material

The effect of heat treatment on the electrochemical and mechanical properties of SS400 steel was investigated, and the effects of annealing conditions on notched specimens subjected to the slow strain rate test (SSRT) were studied. The results show that no correlations are observed among the maximum tensile strength, yield strength, and stress corrosion cracking. In contrast, the elongation and time-to-fracture are improved with stress-relieving annealing compared with the as-received condition. The elongation, time-to-fracture, and number of dimples increase with annealing heat treatment.

热处理工艺对CuZn_(39)Pb_(3)合金显微组织和应力腐蚀性能的影响

采用光学显微镜(OM)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、应力腐蚀试验机和显微硬度计等研究了热处理工艺对CuZn_(39)Pb_(3)合金微观组织及合金在3.5wt%NaCl溶液中的应力腐蚀开裂敏感性和脱锌腐蚀敏感性的影响。结果表明:合金的应力腐蚀敏感性主要与α相的尺寸和所占比例、β相分布的连续性以及游离态的Pb分布相关。大尺寸的α相+连续分布的β相会导致局部腐蚀;游离态的Pb相倾向聚集在α相和β相界面处,粗大α相和连续分布的β相导致相界面面积减少会引起Pb相在相界面处聚集,降低界面结合力,降低材料的应力腐蚀性能。慢应变速率拉伸(SSRT)试验发现:退火态合金的应力腐蚀性能最差;经450℃时效后,合金中的细小α相对β相存在割裂作用,游离态Pb分布均匀,具有最佳的综合力学性能和应力腐蚀性能。浸没试验发现,退火态合金的脱锌腐蚀敏感性最高,450℃时效态合金脱锌腐蚀敏感性最低,与其应力腐蚀性能表现出一致性。

加氢反应换热器漏气原因分析

某石化公司加氢反应换热器在使用中发生了漏气。为了查找该换热器漏气的原因,使用渗透探伤分析、化学成分分析、金相显微组织分析、SEM微观形貌分析、EDS微区化学成分分析等手段,对漏气的换热器进行了失效分析。结果表明:堆焊复合制备的317L/316L复合不锈钢换热器管板发生了应力腐蚀开裂。建议严格控制堆焊工艺,在堆焊后进行退火处理以消除堆焊层的残余应力,或选择整体317L不锈钢来制备换热器管板。

某凝析油稳定塔塔底重沸器2205管束的腐蚀失效原因

某油田凝析油稳定塔塔底重沸器2205双相不锈钢换热管束发生开裂失效。通过宏观检查、化学成分和组织检查、残余应力测试、断口分析以及应力腐蚀试验系统分析了其失效原因。结果表明:换热管束失效多集中在U形弯区域,裂纹多呈现环向开裂特征;在失效管束U形弯区域存在残余拉应力,其最大值达到262 MPa;断口表面可见明显的解理和准解理特征,以及二次裂纹。综合分析结果可知管束失效原因为高温-结盐-氧引起的氯化物应力腐蚀开裂。