Investigation of stress corrosion cracking initiation of 7A52 aluminum alloy

The stress corrosion cracking(SCC) behaviour of 7A52 aluminum alloy in air and in 3.5% NaCl solution was researched by slow strain rate test(SSRT) and SEM-EDS. The SCC susceptibility was estimated with the loss of the reduction in area. The experimental results indicate that the SCC susceptibility of 7A52 aluminum alloy in 3.5% chloride solution is the highest at strain rate of 1×10^?6 s^?1. The lowest one is under the condition of 1×10^?5 s^?1. Stress concentration and anode dissolving around Al-Fe-Mn intermetallics initiate micropores which will result in microcracks. The existence of intermetallics in the microstructure may play an important role in understanding the SCC initiation mechanisms of 7A52 aluminum alloy.