The mechanics and mechanisms of fracture in stress corrosion cracking of aluminium alloys

✍ Scribed by Mohamed Ragab Bayoumi

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 836 KB
• Volume: 54
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0013-7944
• DOI: 10.1016/0013-7944(93)e0027-z

✦ Synopsis

A fracture mechanics approach to stress corrosion cracking is highlighted. The mechanisms of stress corrosion cracking is presented. Experiments on 2024 and 7075 aluminium alloys are carried out to determine their mechanical properties, microstructure and plane strain fracture toughness (K,,). Stress corrosion cracking tests, namely, cantilever beam tests as well as wedge opening loading tests using sea water as a corrosive medium, are conducted to establish the critical stress intensity factor for stress corrosion crackmg (&c)

for each aluminium alloy. It is found that the &cc is in the range of (l/5) to (l/6) of the plane strain fracture toughness, K,,, depending on the alloy. The scanning electron microscopy of fracture surfaces reveals a great dependence of the cracking and/or pit severity on the applied stress intensity factor. A brief discussion on the dislocation's role in stress corrosion cracking is given.