P-texture effect on the fatigue crack propagation (FCP) resistance in an Al-Cu-Mg alloy containing a small amount of Ag, is investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron back scattering diffraction (EBSD). Results shows that the high intensity P-texture sheet has lower ${\mathsf{\sigma }}_{0.2}/{\mathsf{\sigma }}_b$ , lower FCP rate and higher damage tolerance than random texture sheet. Fracture analysis indicates that the striations spacing of high intensity P-texture sheet is much smaller than that of random texture sheet and it has a rougher fatigue fracture surface, which causes a significant roughness induced crack closure (RICC) effect. The calculation results manifest that high intensity P-texture sheet possesses a higher crack closure level reaching 0.73 as compared to random texture sheet (only 0.25). The statistical analysis results reveal the P-grains have large twist angle of 105–170° and tilt angle of 5–60° with neighboring grains, which is similar to Goss-grains. This is the fundamental reason that P-texture sheet has the same FCP resistance and induces fatigue crack deflection as Goss-texture sheet. Additionally, the most {111} slipping planes of P-grains are distributed in the range of 30–50° deviating from transverse direction of the sheet. This results in more {111} slipping planes to participate in cyclic plastic deformation, which is beneficial to reduce fatigue damage accumulation and improve the damage tolerance of Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloy.

In the present work, a coating was prepared on an Al alloy substrate by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO). To seal the micro defects in the oxide scale, a siloxane layer was prepared on the PEO coating by sol gel method. The polymer sealant was synthesized from Tetraethoxy silane (TEOS) and methacryloxy propyl trimethoxyl silane (MPTES). The chemical structure of the polymer was studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The morphologies and microstructure of the PEO coating and siloxane coating were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that siloxane formed a continuous layer on the surface and effectively sealed the micro defects. The corrosion behavior of the coatings in three different corrosion solutions (NaCl, HCl, and NaOH) was examined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization. The corrosion resistance of the sealed coatings was superior to that of the PEO coating because it prevented the penetration of corrosive solutions. The corrosion resistance of the sealed coatings was found to decrease with increasing electrolyte concentration. The work demonstrated that siloxane sealing may greatly enhance the corrosion resistance of Al-based PEO coating in acidic, neutral, and alkaline environments.

The microstructures and mechanical properties of novel cast Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloys with and without minor additions of Er (0.09 and 0.2 wt %) are investigated by Vickers hardness tests, tensile tests, optical metallographic examination, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results reveal that the Er addition decreases the hardness value of peak-aged Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloy but has little influence on the time required for achieving the peak aging condition. Meanwhile, the Ω phase is suppressed in Er-added alloys, leading to a lower tensile strength at room temperature, which causes the (Mg, Ag, Er, V, Ti)-rich phase in the matrix in Er-added alloys. This blocky phase consumes available Mg and Ag atoms for Ω nucleation, leading to the low number density of Ω plates. The strength properties of Er-added alloys at 300 °C are found to be enhanced, which benefits from the pinning effect of the Al₈Cu₄Er phase on grain boundaries. Meanwhile, the brittle fracture of Er-added alloys at room temperature is directly associated with the Al₈Cu₄Er phase and the blocky (Mg, Ag, Er, V, Ti)-rich phase, which acts as the source of microcracks during deformation. In addition, no obvious grain refinement effect can be observed in Er-added alloys.

A dense alumina ceramic coating was formed on UNS A97075 Al alloy by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO). An efficient and environmentally friendly silane layer was prepared to seal the PEO coating. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed that the PEO coating was completely sealed by the silane layer. The electrochemical corrosion evolution of the silane sealed PEO composite coating was studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Based on the EIS data, the corrosion evolution of the silane sealed composite coating could be divided to three stages during 576 h of immersion test, and the silane coating acted as a good physical barrier in the immersion test, effectively delayed the corrosion process and improved the corrosion resistance.