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Factors leading to grain-boundary fatigue crack propagation in Al-Zn-Mg alloys

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Abstract

Fatigue crack propagation experiments have been carried out at low load amplitudes with a high purity and a corresponding commercial purity Al-Zn-Mg alloy. When the high purity alloy was tested in laboratory air, cracks were often seen to propagate along the grain boundaries. Particularly in the peak aged condition, this alloy is highly susceptible to failure by intercrystalline cracking. However, with dry nitrogen as the test environment, the crack was observed to propagate preferentially along shear bands within individual grains. In the commercial purity alloy, grain-boundary crack propagation was not observed for either laboratory air or dry nitrogen atmospheres. The proportion of intercrystalline cracking in laboratory air could be lowered for the high purity alloy by a thermomechanical treatment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-lnstitut für Metallforschung, Institut für Werkstoffwissenschaften und Institut für Metallkunde der UniversitÄt Stuttgart, Germany

    M. Nageswararao, V. Gerold & G. Kralik

Authors
  1. M. Nageswararao
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  2. V. Gerold
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  3. G. Kralik
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Nageswararao, M., Gerold, V. & Kralik, G. Factors leading to grain-boundary fatigue crack propagation in Al-Zn-Mg alloys. J Mater Sci 10, 515–524 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00543697

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00543697

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