Fatigue crack propagation of aeronautic AA7050-T7451 and AA2050-T84 aluminum alloys in air and saline environments

• Published in: International journal of fatigue Vol. 154; p. 106519
• Main Authors: Cavalcante, T.R.F., Pereira, G.S., Koga, G.Y., Bolfarini, C., Bose Filho, W.W., Avila, J.A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2022; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: AA2050 alloy; AA7050 alloy; Aeronautical materials; Aeronautics; Alloys; Aluminum base alloys; Corrosion environments; Corrosion fatigue; Corrosion resistance; Crack propagation; Density ratio; Fatigue; Fatigue failure; Fatigue strength; Materials fatigue; Mechanical properties; Metal fatigue; Propagation; Saline environments; AA7050 alloy; Fatigue; AA2050 alloy; Aeronautical materials; Corrosion fatigue
• ISSN: 0142-1123; 1879-3452
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2021.106519

•Alloy AA2050-T84 presented superior behavior when tested in air and aqueous saline environments.•Electrochemical characterization results showed a superior resistance of alloy AA2050-T84 in saline environments.•AA2050-T84 showed signs of non-homogeneous deformation behavior at the crack tip. AA7050-T7451 aluminum alloy is one of the most used material in aeronautical applications due to its high strength/density ratio and good fatigue resistance. More recently the AA2050-T84 alloy was introduced due to its reduced density and comparable static mechanical properties. However, fatigue crack propagation properties in corrosive environments are yet to be documented. In this paper fatigue crack propagation was evaluated in saline (3.5 wt% NaCl solution) and air environments. The AA2050-T84 alloy presented a better fatigue performance both in air and aqueous saline environments. Its superior performance was ascribed to non-homogeneous deformation and higher corrosion resistance. These results show the AA2050-T84 alloy as a potential candidate to replace AA7050-T7451 alloy in aeronautical components subjected to fatigue in corrosive environments.