RESUMEN
In this paper, an attempt is made to correlate the fatigue damage in 7000 aluminium alloys with different impurity contents to the microstructural features and to explain their interdependence through fractographic observations. The Paris constants of these alloys in the form of hot-forged plates subjected to the overaged T73 temper are evaluated and differences in the fatigue crack growth rate described by striation spacing measurements. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of fatigue fracture surfaces revealed that the type and morphological parameters of coarse intermetallic particles play a critical role in fatigue crack growth behaviour. The elemental distribution determined by means of energy-dispersive spectroscopy analysis showed that the fractured particles accelerating the crack advances are larger particles of Fe-rich phases. The fatigue crack growth rate increases considerably with increasing amounts of these particles. The smaller eta, S and Mg(2)Si particles contribute beneficially to fatigue life.
RESUMEN
The effect of coarse intermetallic particles on the fracture process in 7000 alloy forgings was investigated using three alloys with different (Fe + Si) impurity levels. The intermetallic particles were identified by selective etching and energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis conducted on a scanning electron microscope. Their geometrical parameters were estimated by image analysis and then correlated with area fractions of different fracture modes on the broken fracture toughness test specimens. It was found that the dominant fracture mode varies with the (Fe + Si) content. The coarse voiding at large intermetallic particles increases systematically with an increase of the impurity level, which in turn increases the amount and size of particles containing Fe and Si while decreasing their spacing. That the crack nucleation and propagation are accelerated by these particles was revealed by in situ scanning electron microscopy observation of the fracture process.