Environmentally assisted cracking of aluminium alloys

A short review of the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behaviour of aluminium alloys is given. Mechanisms of environmentally assisted cracking are outlined. For aluminium alloys, in which stress corrosion cracks propagate predominantly along grain boundaries, anodic dissolution and hydrogen embrittlement have been proposed. Transgranular stress corrosion cracking occurring at severe loading conditions has found particular interest concerning localised corrosion‐deformation interactions. Accelerated test methods for assessing the SCC behaviour are described, including the slow strain rate testing technique and the breaking load method. Results of recent studies on environmentally assisted cracking of aluminium alloys are summarised. Most of the work published in the last two decades has been on aluminium‐lithium based alloys and improved high strength Al‐Zn‐Mg‐Cu alloys in corrosion resistant retrogressed and re‐aged tempers.