Effects of Ultrasonic Deep Rolling on Fatigue Performance of Pre-Corroded 7A52 Aluminum Alloy

The effects of ultrasonic deep rolling (UDR) on the fatigue behavior of pre-corroded 7A52 aluminum alloys were investigated. By means of X-Ray diffraction stress measurements and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), residual stress and fractograph of 7A52 aluminum alloys with and without UDR treatment were analyzed. The results indicated that the UDR produced compressive residual stresses with depth approaching 1mm. UDR treatment can extend the fatigue life of the pre-corroded 7A52 specimens to a large extent, depending on the level of corrosion and UDR parameter. For the slightly corrode specimens, the UDR treatment changed the fatigue crack nucleation site from surface to the transition zone between the compressive residual stresses and tensile stresses, resulted in a much longer fatigue life. For the severely corrode specimens, the crack still nucleated by intergranular cracking, however, due to the compressive residual stresses introduced and the closure of the corrosion pits and corrosion micro-crocks, UDR treatment still improved fatigue performance of the pre-corroded 7A52 aluminum alloy substantially.