Stress Corrosion Susceptibility Of Welded Aluminum Alloys

The program determined threshold stress levels for 2014-T6, X2021-T8E31, 2024-T81, 2219-T87, X7002-T6, 7039-T64, and 7106-T6. Variables were sheet and plate, long transverse grain direction, welded and post-weld heat treated, notched and unnotched. Tests were conducted using step load and constant load 500 hours alternate immersion in synthetic sea water at sustained stress levels up to 75-percent yield strength. All basic, unwelded alloys, sheet and plate, had thresholds above 75-percent yield strength. Thresholds for unnotched sheet alloys were below 75-percent yield strength for 2014-T6, as welded (W), weld + age (A) and weld + solution heat treat + age (S), X2021-T8E31 (W), 2024-T81 (W), 2219-T87 (S), 7039-T64 (S) and 7106-T6 (A) (S). The most susceptible to stress corrosion cracking was X2021-T8E31 (W). A fatigue crack at the edge of the weld bead caused increased susceptibility to stress corrosion for several of the sheet alloy-weld-tempers. For unnotched plate product, stress corrosion cracking was incurred for only 2014-T6 (S) and 7039-T64 (S) below 75-percent yield strength; this was at higher stress levels than the (W) and (A) tempers tested. A fatigue crack at the edge of the weld bead caused severe susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking for plate alloys, X-2021-T8E31 (S), 7039-T64 (S) and 2014-T6 (S). An Engineering Data Materials Matrix is presented. Stress corrosion cracking typically initiated at the edge of the weld bead and progressed along the fusion line branching into the weld bead and heat affected zone. (Author).