Stress corrosion cracking behavior in 2297 Al-Cu-Li alloy at different grain orientations

The effect of annealing and aging on mechanical properties, texture and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) susceptibility of 2297 Al-Cu-Li alloy after cold rolling was studied. Alloy annealed at 380 degrees C/60 min (sample B), which showed the best performance of SCC resistance, had an SCC index of only 3.8%. After aging at 175 degrees C for 31 h, the fracture surface of sample B had the finest dimples, which corresponded to the best ductility (elongation, 12.8%). The textures of the alloys treated by different annealing processes varied significantly, and grains gradually transferred from deformed to recrystallized textures during the aging process. Cracks tended to propagate along the grain boundaries with {100}//RP orientation grains, whereas the grain boundaries related to {111}//RP and {110}//RP orientation grains hindered SCC of the alloy.