The Effect of Loading Orientation on the Stress Corrosion Cracking of Al-Mg Alloys

What is it about?

The publication focuses on the effect of short transverse loading (highly susceptible to intergranular stress corrosion cracking) versus long transverse (much less susceptible) in Al-Mg alloys. Most interestingly, this work shows a delamination mechanism that these alloys exhibit when loaded in the less susceptible orientation, since intergranular fracture in the perpendicular direction is so much more preferred! Analysis in saline aqueous immersion and laboratory air environments shows that this delamination only occurs in immersion, which contrasts findings currently in the literature on this mechanism occurring under fatigue conditions in laboratory air.

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Why is it important?

These results further the understanding of intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IG-SCC) behavior in Al-Mg alloys, and inform as to which alloy orientations may deliver the least IG-SCC susceptibility to promote longer service life. The use of a hydrogen-based failure model to explain this delamination mechanism is also novel, and further establishes the validity of this hydrogen enhanced decohesion theory in Al-Mg alloys.

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