PNNL

Abstract

Aluminum and magnesium based alloys are being used for reducing the weight of automobiles. For structural applications they must have adequate stress corrosion resistance and yet, under some circumstances, stress corrosion cracking can occur in both alloy systems. Precipitation of the Mg rich Beta-phase (Al3Mg2) at grain boundaries of Al-Mg alloys and the Beta-phase (Mg17Al12) at grain boundaries of the Mg-Al alloys are critical factors in their stress corrosion performance. In Mg-Al, the Beta-phase is cathodic to the matrix while in the Al-Mg case, the Beta-phase is anodic to the matrix. These phases produce localized galvanic induced-corrosion that leads to intergranular stress corrosion cracking and cracking growth rates of 5 and 103 times faster than the solution treated condition, for Al-Mg and Mg-Al, respectively.