Microstructural dependence of aqueous-environment-assisted crack growth and hydrogen uptake in AA 7050

This goal of this research was to explain the effects of heat treatment, Cu content, and electrode potential (EApp) on short-transverse aqueous environment assisted cracking (EAC) in a precipitation hardened Al-Zn-Mg-(Cu) alloy. Substantial intergranular EAC susceptibility was observed in several underaged (UA) and peak aged (PA) tempers of AA 7050, where increasing E App produced a slow crack growth rate (da/dt) incubation and transition to fast da/dt. Above the transition potential, da/dt was dramatically increased by further increases in EApp. In contrast the overaged (OA) condition was highly EAC resistant, exhibiting transgranular da/dt ≤2 x 10-8 mm/sec or ≈ 10,000 times slower than PA. Crack growth rates in the low Cu alloy were several orders of magnitude higher than those exhibited by the high Cu material at similar EApp and were only slightly reduced on overaging.; Thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) results showed enhanced hydrogen uptake in fast-cracking EAC regions compared to as-received hydrogen concentrations. Hydrogen analyses were complicated by the dependence of H-production and uptake on wake exposure time and a pH gradient in the occluded crack environment. Trends between applied anodic potential, crack wake H concentration (normalized by the wake exposure time), and aqueous da/dt were observed. Nuclear reaction analysis revealed unexpectedly high near-surface H concentrations ( ≈ 2000 wppm). The H-concentration profiles indicate that the observed da/dt can be rate-limited by bulk H-diffusion into the crack tip process zone, where EAC is promoted by a hydrogen embrittlement mechanism.; The transition potential to fast da/dt increased in the anodic direction with increased isothermal aging time. Additionally, the presence of large Cu-containing second phase particles (S-phase) on high angle grain boundaries partially negated the beneficial effect of overaging on EAC in the Cu-containing alloy, an effect not observed in humid air cracking. These results suggest that alloyed Cu may affect the aqueous crack surface film in the overaged temper, likely reducing H production and uptake through decreased dissolution rate and higher crack tip pH or by formation of a H-diffusion barrier. TDS measured hydrogen concentrations, when normalized by the wake exposure time, support these findings.