CORROSION SCIENCE SECTION
Corrosion Behavior of Friction-Stir-Welded
AA7050-T7651
J.B. Lumsden, M.W. Mahoney, C.G. Rhodes, and G.A. Pollock*
ABSTRACT
The corrosion properties of friction-stir-welded (FSW)
AA7050-T7651 have been investigated. Immersion in a modi-
fied exfoliation corrosion (EXCO) solution showed that the
grain boundaries in the nugget, partially recrystallized zone
(PRZ), and heat-affected zone (HAZ) were sensitized. The
most heavily sensitized region was the nugget/PRZ interface.
Pitting potentials were determined potentiodynamically in
0.6 M sodium chloride (NaCl). The nugget had the lowest pit-
ting potential, which was 75 mV less than the parent mate-
rial. The pitting potential of the HAZ was 50 mV less than the
parent material. In results from the slow strain rate test, the
percent elongation in 0.6 M NaCl for the slowest strain rate
used was ~20% that in air, indicating susceptibility to stress
corrosion cracking. Metallography showed that the fracture
was intergranular and that the crack path was on the nugget
side of the nugget/PRZ interface. Analytical electron trans-
mission microscopy (ATEM) does not conclusively identify a
grain boundary, precipitate-free zone, or precipitate chemis-
try, which correlates with sensitization. These chemistries
are complex and vary with distance from the center line of
the weld.
KEY WORDS: aluminum alloys, friction stir welding, stress
corrosion cracking
Submitted for publication February 2002; in revised form, Sep-
tember 2002.
* Rockwell Science Center, 1049 Camino dos Rios, Thousand
Oaks, CA 91360.
0010-9312/03/000045/$5.00+$0.50/0
212 © 2003, NACE International
INTRODUCTION
Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid-state joining
process1-3 used to join aluminum alloys of all compo-
sitions. During FSW, a rotating tool is forced between
two plates and moved along their contact line. The
frictional heat generated by contact between the tool
and plates softens the material within a narrow zone.
The rotating tool provides a continual hot working
action transporting the plasticized material from the
leading face of the tool to the trailing edge where con-
solidation produces a continuous joint. Although
melting does not generally occur during FSW, tem-
peratures are sufficiently high and times at tempera-
ture are long enough to cause dissolution, nucleation,
and/or coarsening of strengthening precipitates. The
temperature-time profile changes with distance from
the nugget causing a gradient in microstructure and
precipitate morphology. The altered microstructure
in the weld zone (areas where the temperature is
elevated) of FSW AA5454 demonstrated improved
pitting resistance.4 However, investigations have
shown that weld zones in FSW AA7075-T65 and
FSW AA7050-T76516 are sensitized. Studies of FSW
AA7075-T65 show the weld zone to be more suscep-
tible to pitting and intergranular corrosion than the
parent material. The work reported here extends pre-
viously reported preliminary slow strain rate (SSR)
results6 showing susceptibility to stress corrosion
cracking (SCC) in FSW AA7050-T7651. Also reported
herein are pitting and intergranular corrosion resis-
tance results for FSW AA7050-T7651.
CORROSION—MARCH 2003
 CORROSION SCIENCE SECTION

TABLE 1
Chemical Composition of AA7050 Used (wt%)

Si Fe Cu Mn Mg Cr Ti Zr Zn Al

0.04 0.08 2.18 0.1 2.04 <0.01 0.03 0.11 6.49 Bal.

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES

Material
Material used in this study was 6.35-mm-thick
AA7050-T7651 with the composition listed in Table
1. Samples were friction-stir-welded using conven-
tional friction stir welding practices of 100 mm per
minute at 350 rpm.1 Following welding, samples were
tested after naturally aging for 5 months.

Corrosion Resistance Evaluation

Susceptibility to intergranular attack (IGA) was
determined using a 10% dilution of the ASTM G-34(1)
exfoliation corrosion (EXCO) test solution. The EXCO
solution consists of 4 M sodium chloride (NaCl),
0.5 M potassium nitrate (KNO3), and 0.1 M nitric acid
(HNO3). Test samples ~1 cm wide were cut transverse
to the weld, exposing cross sections of the FSW, and
were polished with emery paper to 600 grit prior to
exposure. The test samples were immersed in the
modified EXCO solution for varying time intervals
and subsequently examined by optical microscopy.
Pitting potentials were measured in deaerated 0.6 M FIGURE 1. Schematic of SSR test specimen.
NaCl using the potentiodynamic polarization tech-
nique in accordance with ASTM G-61. Test samples
from the heat-affected zone (HAZ) were obtained by Transmission Electron Microscopy
cutting parallel to the HAZ/nugget boundary and Measurements
0.5 mm into the HAZ. A sample cut from the center
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) thin
of the nugget, perpendicular to the weld axis, was
foils were made from cross-sectional samples taken
used to determine the pitting potential of the nugget.
from the center of the nugget, on both sides of the
Undesired surface area was masked using a styrene-
boundary between nugget and PRZ, and in the base
butadiene polymer. The surface area of all samples
metal. Foils were made using the procedure reported
used for potentiodynamic measurements was 1 cm2.
by others for analytical transmission microscopy
Susceptibility to SCC was evaluated using the
studies on AA7075 and AA2024.7 The weldments
SSR method described in ASTM Standards G-129 and
were polished metallographically and etched to locate
G-49. Tensile specimens were machined transverse
nugget and HAZ. A thin slice (~0.6 mm) of the entire
to the weld with the gauge section perpendicular to
cross section was then cut using a slow-speed saw.
the rolling direction. Gauge cross-sectional dimensions
Circular (3-mm) blanks, centered on the areas of in-
were 6.35 mm by 3.18 mm. The gauge length included
terest, were electrodischarge machined from the
the weld nugget and both HAZ. Specimens were
slices. The blanks were then mechanically thinned
mounted in a 1.5-L cell and electrically insulated
to a thickness of ~0.1 mm prior to electropolishing in
from the grips. Figure 1 shows a sample schematic. A
a solution of 25% HNO3 in methanol (CH3OH) cooled
0.6-M NaCl solution open to the air was recirculated
to –40°C.
continuously through the cell from a 5-L reservoir.
Local chemistries of grain interiors and grain
For comparison, tests were performed in dry labora-
boundaries were evaluated using a Philips CM30†
tory air by placing specimens in plastic tubing packed
transmission electron microscope equipped with a
with anhydrous calcium sulfate (CaSO4; Drierite†).
Noran Voyager† x-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy
(1)
(EDS) system. Measurements were made with the
ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken,
PA 19428. probe placed directly over the area of interest and
†
Trade name. with a beam size of ~4 nm. The beam spreads as it

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CORROSION SCIENCE SECTION
Retreating Side
FIGURE 2. Macrograph of the weld zone in FSW AA7050-T7651.
passes through the thin-foil specimen, resulting in a
spatial resolution on the order of 40 nm. Grain
boundary and grain interior compositions were mea-
sured between precipitate particles. Compositions
are reported as atomic percents. Each value reported
is the average of 3 to 6 measurements, and ± values
reflect the maximum deviation from the mean in
those measurements.
RESULTS
The FSW process generates a unique microstruc-
ture. This is shown in the optical cross-sectional view
(Figure 2) of the weld zones. Figure 2 is a transverse
view in the weld travel direction. The weld advancing
side (i.e., the side where the tangential rotating tool
velocity opposes the travel direction) is characterized
by the shoulder at the top of the nugget. The weld
nugget has a fine grain, fully recrystallized micro-
structure. Adjacent to the nugget there is a small
transition zone with parent metal grains deformed
upward toward the top surface with fine grains
located within the grain boundaries. This is a transi-
tion zone between the fully recrystallized nugget and
the conventional pancake grain parent metal. Some
investigators believe this transition region is created
via recovery. However, recovery is usually defined as
the restoration of physical properties without any ob-
servable change in microstructure, and this transi-
tion microstructure is decidedly different from that in
either the nugget or the parent metal. Thus, for clari-
fication in this manuscript, we have elected to iden-
tify the region just adjacent to the nugget as a
214
Shoulder
Advancing Side
partially recrystallized zone (PRZ) due to the coexist-
ence of both deformed grains and a necklace of re-
crystallized fine grains in the grain boundaries of the
deformed grains. Extending 10 mm to 12 mm beyond
the PRZ is the HAZ, where the microstructure has
been affected by the thermal transient generated
during FSW but without deformation.8
Optical micrographs in Figure 3 show the sever-
ity of attack with exposure time to the modified
EXCO solution. Within 2 h of exposure, attack ini-
tiates in the nugget at its boundary with the PRZ
(Figure 3[a]). Figure 3(b) is a higher magnification
SEM photomicrograph of the attacked region in Fig-
ure 3(a) and shows that the initial attack is inter-
granular in the recrystallized, fine grain equiaxed
microstructure of the nugget. After exposure for 6 h,
the intergranular attack becomes more extensive in
the region of the PRZ/nugget boundary and also
spreads into the PRZ and the HAZ (Figure 3[c]).
Polarization curves for various weld regions are
shown in Figure 4. The anodic-to-cathodic transition
potential for the parent material (–1,070 mV) is lower
than that of the HAZ (–960 mV) and the nugget
(–980 mV). The nugget has the lowest pitting potential
(–825 mV) compared to the pitting potential for the
HAZ (–800 mV) and the parent material (–750 mV).
Nominal stress vs elongation curves of the trans-
verse FSW AA7050-T7651 specimens were obtained
using the SSR apparatus.9 Susceptibility to SCC is
expressed as the ratio of the total elongation for
specimens exposed to the NaCl solution to the aver-
age value obtained in dry air. Dry air measurements
were made at two strain rates with total elongations
CORROSION—MARCH 2003
 CORROSION SCIENCE SECTION

(a) (b) (c)

FIGURE 3. Photomicrographs of FSW AA7050-T7651 after exposure to the modified EXCO solution for: (a) and (b) 2 h
and (c) 6 h.

of 9.2% and 9.1% at strain rates of 3 × 10–4 s–1 and

3 × 10–7 s–1, respectively. Figure 5 shows the strain
rate dependence of the normalized elongation (some-
times referred to as the ductility ratio).10 These results
show ductility decreasing monotonically for slower
strain rates, reaching a constant value at a strain
rate of 3 × 10–6 s–1. The open-circuit potential during
the SSR tests drifted from ~ –810 mV to –755 mV for
both the FSW material and the parent alloy.
Posttest fractography showed transgranular frac-
ture for samples tested in solution at a strain rate of
3 × 10–4 s–1 and also for tests in air at the two strain
rates used. Fracture occurred on the advancing side
of the weld, a considerable distance from the weld
nugget, into the HAZ (Figure 6). In comparison, there
was a pronounced change in the fracture mode when FIGURE 4. Potentiodynamic polarization curves for FSW AA7050-
testing in solution at strain rates 3 × 10–5 s–1 and T7651 in deaerated 0.6 M NaCl.
slower. Figure 7(a) is an optical cross-sectional view
of the specimen pulled to failure in solution at the
slower strain rate of 3 × 10–6 s–1. The crack initiated
on the advancing side in the “shoulder” of the nug-
get. The fracture was intergranular and advanced
through the fine grain nugget microstructure at the
PRZ/nugget boundary, as shown in Figure 7(b). Oc-
casional secondary cracks along grain boundaries of
the equiaxed recrystallized fine grains were present.
Fractures associated with the test strain rates of
3 × 10–5 s–1 and 9 × 10–6 s–1 and in solution also initi-
ated on the advancing side of the weld in the “shoul-
der” of the nugget. The crack front propagated along
the PRZ/nugget interface at the bottom of the nugget.
Fractography of the specimen tested at 3 × 10–7 s–1
was identical to that shown in Figures 7(a) and (b).
An unstressed SSR specimen was soaked in the
NaCl solution for 26 h. This was the time-to-failure
for the specimen pulled in solution at a strain rate of
FIGURE 5. Ductility ratio for FSW AA7050-T7651 (transverse) from
3 × 10–7 s–1. The presoaked specimen was pulled in
SSR results in 0.6 M NaCl open to the air.
air at a strain rate of 3 × 10–7 s–1 and had an elonga-

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CORROSION SCIENCE SECTION
(a)
(b)
FIGURE 6. Specimen fractured in solution at a strain rate of 3 ×
10–4 s–1: (a) optical cross-sectional view showing the fracture through
the HAZ with the shoulder of the nugget in the upper right and
(b) SEM view of the fracture face.
tion of 2.7% compared to 1.4% for the specimen
pulled in solution at 3 × 10–7 s–1. The optical macro-
graph of the failure cross section and the SEM micro-
graph of the fracture surface were identical to those
of the specimen tested in solution (Figure 7).
The TEM analysis showed that the grain bound-
ary precipitate size decreased when moving away
from the hottest region of the weld (i.e., from the
nugget center to the HAZ, Figure 8). These large an-
gular grain boundary precipitates have a composition
of Mg(Zn2AlCu). There was no significant difference
between the intergranular precipitate density in the
nugget center and that in the nugget at the PRZ in-
terface. Beyond the PRZ/nugget interface, the den-
sity decreases, moving away from the nugget center.
In addition, there is a large precipitate-free zone
(PFZ) adjacent to the boundaries in the PRZ near the
PRZ/nugget interface. The strengthening precipitates
216
(a)
(b)
FIGURE 7. Specimen fractured in solution at a strain rate of 3 ×
10–6 s–1: (a) optical cross-sectional view and (b) SEM view of the
intergranular fracture face.
in the grain interiors are larger and more numerous
in the PRZ-at-nugget (Figure 8[c]) compared to those
in the nugget (Figure 8[b]). This occurs because the
deformation in the PRZ is accompanied by a rise in
temperature, which allows preexisting strengthening
precipitates to coarsen. (Note that the strengthening
precipitates are quite numerous and much smaller in
the base metal [Figure 8(d)].) However, the deforma-
tion is much more severe and the temperature is
much higher in the nugget. Here, the preexisting pre-
cipitates are taken into solution at the higher tem-
perature generated during the friction stir process
and only re-precipitate during cooling.
Table 2 presents composition results obtained
using analytical transmission microscopy. The analy-
ses gives compositions of grain boundaries and grain
interiors (away from particles) at four locations (i.e.,
center of the nugget, nugget boundary, PRZ at the
CORROSION—MARCH 2003

(a)
(c)
FIGURE 8. Comparison of grain boundary precipitation in FSW AA7050-T7651: (a) nugget center, (b) nugget at PRZ,
(c) PRZ at nugget, and (d) base metal.
nugget, and the base alloy). The grain boundaries at
the nugget center had the lowest Cu composition.
The difference between the Cu concentration in the
boundaries and the grain interiors was greater at the
nugget center than that in the other regions ana-
lyzed. However, the concentrations of Mg and Zn con-
centrations in the grain boundaries and the grain
interiors were approximately the same at the nugget
center. At all other locations, compositions of Mg and
Zn in the grain interiors and grain boundaries were
different; whereas, the Cu concentration was ap-
proximately the same as the base metal concentra-
tion. The Mg and Zn concentrations were highest in
the center of the nugget. There was a monotonic de-
CORROSION—Vol. 59, No. 3
CORROSION SCIENCE SECTION
(b)
(d)
crease in the Zn content in the grain interiors in
moving from the nugget to the base metal; whereas,
the Zn content in the boundaries in the nugget at the
PRZ boundary and in the PRZ at the nugget bound-
ary was the same as that in the boundaries in the
parent alloy.
DISCUSSION
These results show that FSW AA7050-T7651 is
sensitized to corrosion in the as-welded condition.
The sensitized region is susceptible to intergranular
corrosion in the modified ASTM EXCO test solution
and intergranular SCC in 0.6 M NaCl. The most
217
CORROSION SCIENCE SECTION
TABLE 2
Grain Boundary and Grain Interior Chemistry (a/o) in Locations in FSW AA7050-T7651
Location
Grain Boundary
Region of FSW AA7050 Cu Mg
Center of nugget 0.5 ± 0.3 2.3 ± 0.0
Nugget at PRZ 1.0 ± 0.3 1.2 ± 0.8
PRZ at nugget 1.1 ± 0.3 1.2 ± 0.1
Base metal 1.1 0.3
Nominal alloy composition, a/o: 1.0 Cu – 2.8 Zn – 2.64 Mg – bal. Al.
heavily sensitized zone is a narrow region in the
boundary between the PRZ and the nugget where in-
tergranular corrosion first occurs and where the SCC
crack propagates.
The weld nugget has a lower pitting potential
than either the HAZ or the parent metal. It was not
possible to fabricate a specimen by isolating the nug-
get/PRZ interface for pitting potential measurements.
Thus, it is not known if the region most susceptible
to intergranular corrosion and SCC was also the
most susceptible to pitting. The weld zone, having
the lowest pitting potential, differed from results
reported previously5 for FSW AA7075-T6. In these
earlier results, the HAZ of FSW AA7075-T6 had the
lowest pitting potential, and the nugget had a pitting
potential between that of the HAZ and the parent
metal. However, the relationship between the Cu con-
centration in the weld zones of the two FSW alloys
followed the same trends (i.e., the lowest pitting po-
tential was in the zone with the lowest Cu concentra-
tion). This observation is in accordance with results
that show the pitting potential of Al-Cu alloys in-
creases with the amount of Cu in solid solution.11
The increasing loss in ductility with decreasing
strain rate can be explained by invoking either a hy-
drogen or an anodic dissolution mechanism of SCC.
Available data suggest that when anodic dissolution
is the cracking mechanism, there is a critical strain
rate where the ductility reaches a minimum and then
increases as strain rate is decreased.12 No minimum
occurred in the SSR results of FSW AA7050-T7651.
The absence of a ductility minimum is consistent
with a hydrogen-assisted cracking mechanism of
SCC.12 Using this type of correlation between the
cracking mechanism and the ductility ratio-strain
rate relationship for FSW materials is complicated by
the four zones with different microstructure over
which the strain rate is averaged. Strain localization
occurs, increasing the local strain rate by some un-
known amount.13 However, the microstructures of
all samples are identical and, accordingly, the SSR
results are comparable. Results for the presoaked
specimen, in which very low ductility and intergranu-
lar fracture morphology were the same as that of the
specimen pulled in solution at the same strain rate
218
Grain Interiors
Zn Cu Mg Zn
3.0 ± 0.2 0.9 ± 0.1 2.9 ± 0.1 3.1 ± 0.5
1.8 ± 0.3 1.1 ± 0.2 0.7 ± 0.2 2.8 ± 0.7
1.7 ± 0.3 1.2 ± 0.3 4.0 ± 0.6 2.5 ± 0.6
1.8
(3 × 10–7 s–1), further appear to support a hydrogen
mechanism. These results are in contrast with those
from specimens pulled in dry air at 3 × 10–4 s–1 and
3 × 10–7 s–1 where a ductile transgranular fracture
mode was observed. However, it is not unequivocal
that hydrogen caused the loss of ductility in the pre-
soaked specimen since the presence of bubbles at
numerous points on the surface indicated that solu-
tion was trapped in cavities and capillaries under
some intermetallics causing localized corrosion. Un-
like these results for FSW AA7050-T7651, the SSR
test results from others for parent AA7050-T7651
shows a minimum in the ductility/strain rate curve
in a NaCl environment, which suggest an anodic dis-
solution SCC mechanism.14 Other results show no
loss in ductility in hydrogen-charged specimens.15
Although a comparison of results for FSW AA7050-
T7651 and the parent base alloy AA7050 suggest the
SCC mechanism is different in the two material con-
ditions, it is not definitive because of the uncertain-
ties pointed out above.
A complete investigation of the microstructure in
the weld zone of the FSW AA7050-T7651 is beyond
the scope of this paper. However, a comprehensive
microstructural analysis has been reported for FSW
AA7075-T6.8 Similar microstructures can be ex-
pected for FSW AA7050-T7651. The most significant
change caused by FSW in the sensitized region adja-
cent to the weld nugget is a coarsening of precipi-
tates caused by rapid grain boundary diffusion of
solutes. This leads to changes in grain boundary
composition, size of the PFZ, and the grain boundary
area fraction covered by precipitates. The precipitate
coarsening rate and relative diffusion rates are loca-
tion dependent because of the weld zone temperature
gradient. Local changes in composition are likely
responsible for changes in both pitting and inter-
granular corrosion resistance. The intergranular SCC
behavior, in both hydrogen and anodic dissolution
mechanisms, can depend on composition and
whether the type of precipitate promotes homogenous
or inhomogeneous slip.15 It has not been determined
what composition and microstructure changes,
which occurred during FSW, are responsible for the
increased sensitivity to corrosion.
CORROSION—MARCH 2003

CONCLUSIONS
❖ The as-welded microstructures resulting from FSW
AA7050-T751 were sensitized and susceptible to SCC
in a 0.6-M NaCl solution as shown by the SSR tech-
nique. An intergranular SCC crack propagated on the
nugget side of the PRZ/nugget interface during SSR
testing. The nugget and HAZ were susceptible to in-
tergranular corrosion and had lower pitting poten-
tials than the parent material.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Support of this work by ONR Contract no.
N0014-99-C-0153/P00002 is gratefully acknowledged.
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CORROSION—Vol. 59, No. 3
CORROSION SCIENCE SECTION
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