Corrosion Resistance Evaluation and Effects of Prior Corrosion and Stress on Fatigue Behavior of Friction Stir Welded AA2024-T3

Abstract

The corrosion resistance of 2024-T3 (UNS A92024) Al alloy with no clad layer and that of friction stir welded (FSW) joint specimens fabricated from the same material were evaluated. The surfaces of both the alloy base material and FSW joint specimens were ground out before being exposed to a 3.0% sodium chloride solution at 60°C for 24, 48, 72, or 96 h. The corrosion pits on the base material samples were found to be randomly distributed, while those on the FSW joint were formed around the edge and center of the weld line. Energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry indicated constituent particles containing Mg at the grain boundaries in the thermomechanically affected zone and stir zone of the FSW joint; this Mg content aggravated the corrosion damage in those regions. The depth and volume of the corrosion pits in the FSW joint were greater than those in the base material. However, the aspect ratios of the corrosion pits in the base material and FSW were similar. Prior-corroded specimens were fatigue tested to evaluate the effect of corrosion damage. The fatigue life of the base material with corrosion damage was slightly shorter than that of the FSW joint specimens with corrosion damage, and the fatigue life of an uncorroded FSW joint specimen was more than 10 times longer than that of a corroded specimen. Thus, corrosion damage has a severely detrimental effect on fatigue life. Further, fracture surface observation revealed that the fracture origins in the FSW joint specimens tended to be multiple corrosion pits; however, the corrosion pits with the greatest depth or volume did not necessarily become fracture origins in the base material or FSW joints.