The Effect of Thermal Treatments on the Corrosion Behavior of Friction Stir Welded 7050 and 7075Aluminum Alloys

摘要

The rapid thermal cycle generated during friction stir welding (FSW) produces a gradient of microstructures and precipitate distributions in the weld heat affected zone (HAZ) and the thermo mechanical affected zone (TMAZ). Metallurgical transformations associated with such heating and cooling become complex under these nonequilibrium conditions, producing unstable microstructures, which cause unpredictable changes in properties relative to the parent alloy. Our work has shown that the composition changes caused by the nucleation and coarsening of precipitates during FSW produce a sensitized microstructure in 7050 and 7075 aluminum alloys. This paper describes the deleterious effects on the corrosion behavior of 7050 and 7075 aluminum alloys resulting from FSW and the effects of pre- and post- weld heat treatments on the corrosion properties of the welded material.