The relation between corrosion fatigue and stress corrosion cracking in AlZnMG alloys

Key Microstructural Features Responsible for Improved Stress Corrosion Cracking Resistance and Weldability in 7xxx Series Al Alloys Containing Micro / Trace Alloying Additions

The commercial 7xxx series Al alloys are based on medium strength Al-Zn-Mg and high strength Al-Zn-Mg-Cu systems. The medium strength alloys are weldable, whilst the high strength alloys are nonweldable. On the other hand, the Cu-free, weldable alloys suffer from poor SCC resistance. It is the purpose of this article to provide quantitative data and microstructural analysis to demonstrate that small additions of either Ag or Sc to Al-Zn-Mg and Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys bring about very significant improvement in SCC resistance and weldability, respectively. The improvement in SCC resistance of the Cu-bearing alloys due to over aging and retrogression and reaging (RRA) is further discussed in light of a similar improvement in the SCC resistance of these alloys, when peak aged, due to Ag and Sc additions.