Influence of ECAP on the fatigue behavior of age-hardenable 2xxx aluminum alloy

The fatigue behavior under load control and the mechanical properties of commercial 2011 aluminum as an age-hardenable Al alloy was studied. To estimate the effects of the equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) process, solution heat treatments, and aging on the fatigue life, tests were conducted at four different stages:furnace cooling; furnace cooling plus one ECAP pass; solid solution heat treatment, quenching, one ECAP pass plus aging at peak age level; and the T6 condition. Only one pass was possible at room temperature because of the high strength of the material. The fracture surface morphology and microstructure after fatigue were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The experimental results revealed that the optimum fatigue life under load control, the tensile strength, and the Vickers hardness of the material were interdependent. The optimum fatigue life under load control was achieved by increasing the tensile strength and hardness of the material.