Corrosion fatigue crack growth model for aluminum alloys in jet fuel

Abstract

Aluminum alloys are primary structural materials in aircraft fuel systems, where jet fuel can influence the fatigue crack growth (FCG) behavior of materials. This paper presents a model for calculating the FCG rate of aluminum alloys in jet fuel environment. The model is based on elastoplastic fracture mechanics and revises the interaction terms in the linear superposition model by accounting for the corrosive environment and the crack closure effect. The derivation process of the model is discussed in detail. To validate the efficacy of the model, FCG tests were conducted on three types of aviation aluminum alloys, namely, 2524‐T3, 7050‐T7451, and 7075‐T62 in the jet fuel. The experimental results were compared with FCG rates in the laboratory air environment. Findings indicate that the proposed model effectively captures the primary trends observed in the experimental data. In addition, the failure surfaces of the specimens were observed using a super‐depth‐of‐field optical microscopy system.