| Exfoliation corrosion is a potentially severe form of corrosion that frequently affects high-strength aluminum, particularly 2xxx- and 7xxx-series alloys. Exfoliation degrades components such as sheets, plates, and extrusions that have highly elongated grain structures. Few attempts have been made to investigate the effects of this form of corrosion on the fatigue performance of these materials, so a preliminary study was conducted to determine the effects of exfoliation corrosion on the fatigue response of quarter-inch 7075-T651 aluminum alloy plate. This was accomplished by subjecting aluminum panels to an ASTM standard corrosive solution known as EXCO then fatiguing the panels in corrosion fatigue environments of dry air, humid air, and artificial acid rain.; Statistical analyses of the fatigue crack growth data suggest that prior-corrosion and corrosion fatigue are competing mechanisms that both have the potential of accelerating crack growth rates. In the dry air cases, exfoliation accelerated crack growth rates a maximum of 4.75 times over the uncorroded material at lower stress intensities such as 5 ksi {dollar}surd{dollar}inch. This accelerated behavior dropped off rapidly, however, and was nonexistent at higher stress intensities.; Humid air increased crack velocities considerably as compared to the dry air uncorroded case, but the addition of exfoliation corrosion to the humid cases did not have a significant effect on crack growth behavior. On the other hand, specimens containing exfoliation corrosion and then exposed to artificial acid rain had significantly higher crack growth rates than their uncorroded counterparts.; Finally, fractographic examinations of the specimens revealed evidence of lower energy, quasi-cleavage fracture persisting near to the exfoliated edge of specimens tested in the dry air, humid air, and artificial acid rain environments.; The implications of this research are that prior-corrosion damage has the ability to significantly increase crack growth rates in this material, and this could render unconservative the inspection intervals determined by damage tolerant analyses based on pristine, uncorroded structure in aircraft where this alloy and damage mechanism are present. The problem is further compounded in the event that prior-corrosion damage and corrosion fatigue act synergisticaliy to increase cracking rates. |
