Environmental effects on low cycle fatigue of 2024-T351 and 7075-T651 aluminum alloys

The environmental effects on the low cycle fatigue (LCF) behavior of 2024-T351 and 7075-T651 aluminum alloys were studied at room temperature. The specimens were subjected to identical LCF tests at strain ratio R of −1 and frequency of 5 Hz in three environments: vacuum, air and 1% NaCl solution of pH 2. A separate group of specimens was pre-corroded in 1% NaCl solution and then LCF-tested in air. Their strain–life relations and cyclic stress–strain responses were investigated and compared. Furthermore, the fracture surface morphology was evaluated to find the association of LCF behavior and fractographic features under different environmental conditions.