Sensitization of 5xxx series Al alloys involving precipitation of β phase (Mg2Al3) at grain boundaries was studied for different exposure times at 100°C upon AA5083-H131 (UNS A95083). In this work, we reveal that fracture surfaces prepared by liquid gallium embrittlement can yield a quantification of grain boundary β phase with significant statistics on β phase size and spacing. This information is a necessary first step toward development of quantitative damage models to describe inter-granular corrosion (IGC) and stress corrosion (IGSCC).
A three-dimensional (3-D) granular model that has the capability of predicting time-dependent intergranular corrosion (IGC) damage propagation depths in AA5083-H131 exposed to 0.6 M NaCl solution under potential control is presented. The geometry of grains and degree of sensitization (DoS) of grain boundaries were utilized as inputs, organized in a database, which informed the model to produce IGC depth distributions. The dependencies of IGC depth with exposure time, DoS, and orientation of propagation, both in terms of propagation kinetics and damage morphology, are outputs from the model. The model was calibrated by comparing outputted damage depths to IGC depth data from experiments. Model validation was achieved by comparing the predicted to experimental IGC depths based on image analyses of metallographic cross-section of AA5083-H131 exposed under the same conditions. The relevance and limitations of the current version of the model are discussed.
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