Corrosion-fatigue life prediction for 2024-t62 aluminum alloy using damage mechanics-based approach

An approach based on the continuum damage mechanics was applied to predict corrosion-fatigue crack initiation life of 2024-T62 aluminum alloy. A fatigue test in air, a pre-corrosion-fatigue test, and a corrosion-fatigue test on smooth standard specimens were performed. The fatigue lives are strongly reduced by the corrosive environment of 5 wt.% NaCl continuous salt spray compared with non-corroded specimens. Damage evolution models for fatigue in air and pre-corrosion-fatigue of smooth specimens were established, which forms the basis for solving the corrosion-fatigue problem. Finally, the method of corrosion-fatigue life prediction was presented. The predictions comply with the experimental data.