Hydrogen-enhanced stress-corrosion cracking of aluminum alloys

We present the results of the investigation of Al-Zn-Mg and Al-Zn-Cu-Mg alloys in NaCl solutions at low strain rates. The contribution of hydrogen to the process of stress-corrosion cracking is analyzed by taking into account the influence of the admixtures of arsenic trioxide and residual hydrogen (remaining after the processes of release and cathodic polarization) on the susceptibility of metals to this kind of cracking. A mechanism of hydrogen-assisted stress-corrosion cracking taking into account the time dependence of the microstructure of grain boundaries, concentration of hydrogen, and its distribution is suggested on the basis of the concept of critical concentration of hydrogen.