The atmospheric corrosion of epoxy prime coated aluminum alloy 7075-T6 exposed for 7, 12 and 20 years was investigated. The remaining thicknesses of epoxy prime coatings for macroscopically intact coating areas followed a normal distribution and decreased linearly. EIS results demonstrated that the corrosion resistance of the coating decreased with exposure time. After 20 years of exposure, the epoxy coating had lost its protection as cracks existed within the coating and exfoliation corrosion had occurred on the substrate. The substrate was sensitive to exfoliation corrosion through metallographic and TEM analysis. The corrosion products were mainly hydroxides of aluminum. The morphology and chemical compositions of the coating bubbling area and propagation characterizations of exfoliation corrosion were analyzed by SEM, EPMA and EDS. Cracks between the lumps of corrosion products provided the channels for the transmission of corrosion mediums. Furthermore, the mechanical model was proposed to analyze the propagation characterization of exfoliation corrosion.

Aircraft are subjected to extreme weather conditions in coastal areas. This study reports long-term atmospheric exposure tests carried out on an epoxy primer-coated aluminum alloy in a coastal environment for 7, 12, and 20 years. The micromorphology and characteristics of the section and surface, the products of corrosion, electrochemical impedance, and molecular structure of the coated specimens were examined through a spectrophotometer, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS). The results showed that the angles of contact of the specimens with different numbers of years of atmospheric exposure satisfied the normal distribution. Their fractal dimensions increased with an increase in the duration of exposure. Intergranular corrosion and exfoliation corrosion appeared in the specimens after 20 years, where the product of corrosion was Al(OH)₃. The impedances and thermal properties of the epoxy coatings were influenced by the synergistic effects of aging and post-curing. The impedances of the coatings decreased greatly after long-term atmospheric exposure. After 20 years of corrosion, the specimen showed the characteristics of the substrate being corroded. The mechanism of corrosion and the electrochemical equivalent circuit were also analyzed.

Multiple cold expansion holes are widely used in connection areas of aircraft structures, in order to achieve uniform load transfer of the skin or connection parts. Split sleeve cold expansion (SSCE) is widely used to enhance the fatigue life of fastener holes by applying compressive residual stresses around the holes. In this study, the finite element method (FEM) was used to research the distribution and variation of residual stresses along the hole edges of 7075AA single-hole and multi-hole cold expansion (CE) specimens. Full-field strain measurements of single-hole and multi-hole specimens were performed using two-dimensional digital image correlation (DIC), and the residual stress and strain at the hole edge of the specimens measured by FEM and DIC were compared. FEM results shows that the maximum circumferential and radial residual stresses of three-hole specimens with three-hole spacing are increased by 5.37% and 31.53% compared with single-hole specimens. The maximum circumferential residual stress of three-hole specimens with four-hole spacing increases by 7.25% compared with a single hole, but the radial residual stress decreases by 12.98%. In addition, for three-hole specimens with hole spacing three times the hole diameter, the strengthening effect of SSCE in the order of middle hole, then left hole, and, finally, right hole is better than that of SSCE in the order of left to right hole. FEM and DIC full-field strain results are basically consistent.

To investigate the effect of alternate corrosion and fatigue on fatigue crack growth characterization of 2024-T4 aluminum alloy, the pure fatigue test, “corrosion + fatigue” test (commonly known as pre-corrosion fatigue), and the “fatigue + corrosion + fatigue” alternating test of single-sided notched specimen of 2024-T4 aluminum alloy were carried out. The fatigue crack life of alternate corrosion and fatigue is longer than that of the pre-corrosion fatigue when the corrosion time is the same. And the more the times of alternating, the longer the crack growth life will be. This is mainly because the fatigue crack growth rate will change suddenly, which will have a certain hysteresis effect on the fatigue crack growth. The corrosion and fracture morphology characteristics of the alternate test were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the composition of corrosion products was examined by the energy dispersion spectrum (EDS). The prediction model of fatigue crack growth rate considering the alternating hysteresis effect of corrosion and fatigue based on the Paris formula was established, and the parameters and precision of the model were calculated and verified. The results show that the model has certain engineering application value.