Abstract
High-cycle fatigue tests were carried out on a newly developed high-strength AA 2026 Al alloy, which was in the form of extrusion bars with square and rectangular cross sections, using a self-aligning four-point-bend rig at room temperature, 15 Hz, and R = 0.1, in lab air. The fatigue strength of the square and rectangular bars was measured to be 85 and 90 pct of their yield strength, respectively, more than twice that of the predecessor to the 2026 alloy (the AA 2024 Al alloy). Fatigue cracks were found to be always initiated at large Ω′ (Al7Cu2(Fe,Mn)) particles and to propagate predominantly in a crystallographic mode in the AA 2026 alloy. The fatigue fractographies of the square and rectangular extrusion bars were found to be markedly different, due to their different grain structures (fibril and layered, respectively). Fracture steps on the crack face were found in both of these extrusion bars. Since the 2026 alloy was purer in terms of Fe and Si content, it contained much less coarse particles than in a 2024 alloy. This partially accounted for the superior fatigue strength of the 2026 alloy.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2529-2539 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A: Physical Metallurgy and Materials Science |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 2005 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was funded by Alcoa and the Kentucky Science and Technology Foundation.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Mechanics of Materials
- Metals and Alloys