About this Abstract |
Meeting |
TMS Specialty Congress 2025
|
Symposium
|
The 7th International Congress on 3D Materials Science (3DMS 2025)
|
Presentation Title |
3D Investigation into the Effects of Microstructure on Humid-Air Environmentally Assisted Cracking in 7xxx Aluminium Alloys |
Author(s) |
Matthew Edward Curd, Jack Donoghue, Cameron Grant, Ryan Euesden, Philip Prangnell, Timothy Burnett |
On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Matthew Edward Curd |
Abstract Scope |
7xxx series aluminium alloys are commonly utilised as structural materials in aerospace applications due to their high specific strength and fracture/fatigue resistance. However the latest generation of these alloys suffers from poor humid-air (hydrogen) environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) performance. To better understand the influence of microstructure on EAC, two short (~400um) cracks produced in warm humid air within old and new generation 7xxx alloys have been serially sectioned using a femtosecond (fs-) laser system coupled to an SEM. The resulting large volume, high resolution, multimodal datasets allow the crack paths through the grain structures to be visualised and key parameters of the crack-interacting grains to be assessed, and compared. The morphology of the cracks (including branching and deflections) is explored and these are compared to crack tip regions. Finally, we briefly show how the microstructural information collected can inform modelling efforts, linking crack tip hydrogen production to EAC rates. |
Proceedings Inclusion? |
Undecided |