Characterization of the Microstructure, Fracture, and Mechanical Properties of Aluminum Alloys 7085-O and 7175-T7452 Hollow Cylinder Extrusions

Microstructural, tensile, and fracture characterizations of cylindrically forged forms of aluminum alloys AA7085-O and AA7175-T7452 were performed. Mechanical and fracture properties were investigated along radial, circumferential, and longitudinal directions to determine directional dependency. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) test methods (ASTM E8-04 and ASTM E1820) were employed for both the tensile and fracture characterizations, respectively. The tensile and fracture properties were related to microstructure in each direction. The strength, elongation at break, and ultimate tensile strength of AA7085-O were higher than those of AA7175-T7452. AA7175-T7452 alloy failed in a brittle manner during fracture studies. AA7085-O outperformed AA7175-T7452 on fracture energy in all of the orientations studied. Smaller grain sizes on the planes normal to circumferential and longitudinal directions showed improvement in both elongation at break and fracture energy values compared to those of radial direction. Scanning electron microscopy images demonstrated cleavage fracture in AA7175-T7452 and transgranular fracture in AA7085-O.