Effects of heat treatment on stress corrosion cracking of a discontinuously reinforced aluminum (DRA) 7XXX alloy during slow strain rate testing
- Case Western Reserve Univ., Cleveland, OH (United States)
Discontinuously reinforced aluminum (DRA) alloys are being developed as candidate materials for the automotive and aerospace industry. Although the corrosion and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) susceptibility of aluminum alloys have been extensively studied, comparatively little is known about the corrosion and SCC behavior of DRA materials. The intent of the present work was to study the effects of changes in microstructure/heat treatment on the crack nucleation mechanisms in DRAs and their monolithic atrices on the overall slow strain rate SCC performance in a 3.5% NaCl solution (pH = 3.0). For a given heat treatment, MB78 DRA materials show more susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking than the equivalent monolithic material. For the MB78 composite, the UAII material exhibited the maximum susceptibility to SCC. Both the UAI and UAII material were more susceptible to SCC than the OA material. MB78 DRA and monolithic specimens which have been shown to have a continuous ({eta} and {eta}{prime}) layer along the grain boundaries also showed higher susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking. Significantly more crack coalescence to form larger cracks was observed for the DRA specimens tested in the NaCl solution compared to the DRA specimens tested in dry-air. Monolithic specimens (OA as well as UA) did not exhibit visible micro-cracks or significant crack coalescence on the surfaces.
- OSTI ID:
- 116066
- Journal Information:
- Scripta Metallurgica et Materialia, Vol. 33, Issue 9; Other Information: PBD: 1 Nov 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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