Role of Mg in the stress corrosion cracking of an Al-Mg alloy

The corrosion and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) susceptibility of an A-Mg alloy, AA5083, has been shown to depend on the precipitation of the Mg-ric h beta phase, (Al3Mg2), but not the enrichment of elemental Mg at grain bou ndaries to an enrichment ratio of 1.4. These results were determined by mea suring the progress of Mg enrichment at grain boundaries for increasing the rmal-treatment times, using auger electron spectroscopy (AES) of grain boun daries exposed by fracture within the spectrometer and by analytical electr on microscopy (AEM) of thin foils. The progress of the beta phase precipita tion was followed by AEM and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), for the sa me thermal treatment times. The lack of a Mg-segregation effect on SCC was demonstrated by results obtained with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS ) analysis of Mg-implanted Al following in-situ electrochemical tests and S CC tests, while the dominance of beta phase precipitation was demonstrated by electrochemical analysis and SCC testing. Crack-growth tests of alloy AA 5083 demonstrated faster cracking at potentials anodic to the open circuit potential (OCP) with no increase at potentials cathodic to the OCP.