Journal
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
Volume 13, Issue 1, Pages -Publisher
NATURE PORTFOLIO
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31964-3
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Funding
- Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung [ERC-CoG-SHINE-771602]
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This study investigates the microstructure changes and hydrogen embrittlement mechanisms of high-strength 7xxx series aluminium alloys under stress-corrosion cracking. The research reveals the segregation of hydrogen to planar arrays of dislocations and grain boundaries, leading to the material becoming brittle through hydrogen-enhanced localised plasticity and hydrogen-enhanced decohesion.
The high-strength 7xxx series aluminium alloys can fulfil the need for light, high strength materials necessary to reduce carbon-emissions, and are extensively used in aerospace for weight reduction purposes. However, as all major high-strength materials, these alloys can be sensitive to stress-corrosion cracking (SCC) through anodic dissolution and hydrogen embrittlement (HE). Here, we study at the near-atomic-scale the intra- and inter-granular microstructure ahead and in the wake of a propagating SCC crack. Moving away from model alloys and non-industry standard tests, we perform a double cantilever beam (DCB) crack growth test on an engineering 7xxx Al-alloy. H is found segregated to planar arrays of dislocations and to grain boundaries that we can associate to the combined effects of hydrogen-enhanced localised plasticity (HELP) and hydrogen-enhanced decohesion (HEDE) mechanisms. We report on a Mg-rich amorphous hydroxide on the corroded crack surface and evidence of Mg-related diffusional processes leading to dissolution of the strengthening.-phase precipitates ahead of the crack.
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