JMEPEG (2016) 25:1028–1040 ASM International

DOI: 10.1007/s11665-015-1863-9 1059-9495/$19.00

Mechanical Properties, Corrosion Behavior,

and Microstructures of a MIG-Welded 7020 Al Alloy
Xiaoyan Peng, Xiaowu Cao, Guofu Xu, Ying Deng, Lei Tang, and Zhimin Yin

(Submitted June 21, 2015; in revised form December 1, 2015; published online January 21, 2016)

7020 aluminum alloy plates were welded by metal inert gas welding method, with the ER5183 welding wire
containing Zr and ER5356 welding wire without Zr, respectively. The mechanical properties, corrosion
behavior, and microstructures of these two welded joints were investigated. The tensile strength and
ductilities of the joints are inferior to those of base alloy, and the lowest hardness is obtained in the welded
zone, while the heat-affected zones are more sensitive to corrosion than the base metal and welded zones.
The base metal shows a deformed subgrains microstructure, and the heat-affected zones still remain in
elongated shape, where the soften zones form as a result of g¢ (MgZn2) coarsening. Two welded zones are
mainly characterized by as-cast structure; however, grains are refined and a zone of equiaxed grains forms
along the bonding boundary due to the Zr addition into ER5183 Al alloy. Accordingly, the mechanical
properties and corrosion resistance in this zone of the joint with ER5183 exhibit better than those of the
joint with ER5356.

welds. Balasubramanian (Ref 6) attempted to refine the fusion

Keywords 7020 aluminum alloy, corrosion behavior, mechanical
property, MIG welding, microstructure
1. Introduction
7020 aluminum (Al) alloy, a medium strength Al-Zn-Mg
alloy, is widely used for many welded fabrications of
lightweight structures, such as military vehicles, ship structure,
and railway transport systems, due to its good hot deformation
performance, excellent workability, and weldability (Ref 1-3).
This alloy is usually welded by metal inert gas (MIG) welding
(Ref 4). It offers the advantage of high deposition rate and high
welding speed as well as deeper penetration by high heat input.
However, the welding process has profound effect on the
microstructure, which would lead to the formation of both
harder and more fragile structures. Generally, the welded
structures perform poorer than the base metal (BM). Dendritic
structure in the welded zone (WZ) and coarse columnar grains
in the bonding zone are likely to result in inferior mechanical
properties and weak corrosion resistance. Welding also usually
deteriorates the alloy behavior in the heat-affected zone (HAZ)
due to strong local overheating. One way of improving
weldability is the modification of weld microstructures, such
as grain refinement techniques. Mousavi et al. (Ref 5)
presented evidences for the first time to support the grain
detachment mechanism in electromagnetically stirred AA7020
Xiaoyan Peng, Xiaowu Cao, Lei Tang, and Zhimin Yin, School of
Materials Science and Engineering, Central South University,
Changsha 410083, China; and Guofu Xu and Ying Deng, School of
Materials Science and Engineering, Central South University,
Changsha 410083, China; State Key Laboratory of Powder
Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China; and
Key Laboratory of Nonferrous Materials Science and Engineering of
Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha 410083,
China. Contact e-mail: csuxgf66@csu.edu.cn.
zone grains and narrow the HAZ by applying a pulsed current
welding technique, and thus successfully increased tensile
strength and tensile ductility. On the other hand, more
discussions have been focused on inoculation. Current studies
have reported the additions of minor Zr or Zr + Sc to
aluminum alloys exert beneficial effects on their mechanical
properties and corrosion resistance, due to the formation of fine
coherent Al3Zr and Al3(Sc,Zr) particles (Ref 7-11). These
particles not only effectively pin dislocations and inhibit
recrystallization of the base metal, but also refine the solidi-
fication structures of welds. The increase in grain boundary
volume consequent to grain refinement will reduce the peak
concentration of the segregating elements responsible for
cracking; this will decrease the effective freezing temperature
rage and hence also the cracking tendency (Ref 12). As in the
previous investigation (Ref 13), it is also possible that the
smaller grain structure allows for the strain in the weld to be
distributed among more grains and across their boundaries.
Ram et al. (Ref 14) found that grain refinement was achieved in
the bonding zone of tungsten inert gas (TIG)-welded 7020
alloy through inoculation with Zr, and that this led to a
reduction in hot cracking tendency and an improvement in
hardness, tensile properties, and ductility. Consequently, the
weldability is significantly improved due to the superiority of
Zr.
Since 7020 Al alloy is increasingly used for ship structure
exposed in the corrosive marine environment for long time,
corrosion behavior (pitting corrosion, intergranular corrosion,
exfoliation corrosion, or stress corrosion cracking) becomes a
critical factor. Microstructures have different effects on the
corrosion resistance of various zones formed during welding.
Earlier investigations show that the welded zones and heat-
affected zones of the most joints are susceptible to corrosion
(Ref 15, 16). Reboul (Ref 17) investigated the stress corrosion
susceptibility of 7020 Al alloy-welded sheets in a damp
atmosphere and found that the cracks initiated at the root side of
the weld in the finely recrystallized weld plate edge and
propagated through the grain boundaries until failure.

1028—Volume 25(3) March 2016 Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance

Table 1 Chemical compositions of 7020 aluminum alloy and welding wires (wt.%)
Alloy Si Fe Cu Mn
7020 0.35 0.40 0.20 0.15
ER5183 0.40 0.40 0.10 0.35
ER5356 0.25 0.40 0.10 0.35
Fig. 1 The sampling locations of the tensile specimens
Previous researches have been mainly focused on the
friction stir welding (FSW) or MIG-welded joints of 7020 Al
alloy without Zr, and the corrosion failure studies of the joints
are concentrated on stress corrosion cracking (SCC) suscepti-
bility. However, the discussion on other corrosion behaviors
such as electrochemical behaviors seems rare. Thus, it is
meaningful to investigate the effect of Zr on the jointÕs
properties and microstructures, which might offer great promise
for practical application. In the present study, microstructural
characterization, mechanical tests, and corrosion behavior are
conducted on these joints with Zr, and the relationship between
microstructure and property has also been discussed.
2. Experimental
The base materials used in this study were commercial
7020-T6 Al alloys in the form of 18-mm-thick plates. The
welding wires used for joining the plates were ER5183 and
ER5356 Al alloy, respectively. The chemical compositions of
the base alloy and welding wires are given in Table 1. The
welding method was MIG welding. Detailed MIG welding
parameters were voltage 22 to 28 V, current 220 to 250 A,
argon as shield gas (flow rate 10 to 14L/min), and welding
speed 4 to 6 mm/s. A single ÔVÕ butt joint configuration by an
angle of 70º was prepared for joining the plate. Welding was
carried out in a direction vertical to the rolling direction of the
plate. Before welding, the oxides on the surface of the plates
were cleaned by means of rotating stainless steel brushes and
then skimmed petroleum ether. Figure 1 shows the sampling
locations of the tensile specimens for base material and welded
joints. The welded joint with ER5183 is recorded as 1# joint,
and the other one with ER5356 is 2# joint.
Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance
Mg Zn Cr Ti Zr Al
1.20 4.50 0.20 0.05 0.15 Bal.
4.70 0.25 0.15 0.15 0.15 Bal.
4.80 0.10 0.15 0.13 … Bal.
The exfoliation corrosion (EXCO) test was performed
according to GB/T 22639-2008 standard (Ref 18). Prior to the
experiment, the sample of 10 mm length in the welding direction
and 120 mm length in the transverse direction with the weld at the
center was degreased using 10% NaOH solution, pickled with
30% HNO3 solution, rinsed with alcohol and distilled water, and
then dried in air. The total immersed time was 48 h, and the
exfoliation corrosion morphologies were observed and recorded
at 6, 12, 24, and 48 h, respectively. The intergranular corrosion
(IGC) test was undertaken according to GB/T 7998-2005
standard (Ref 19). The transverse cross sections of weld were
immersed for 6 h; the maximum corrosion depths and corrosion
morphologies were obtained by optical microscopy and scanning
electron microscopy (SEM), respectively.
Electrochemical experiments were carried out on a Zahner
IM6ex electrochemical workstation, using the three-electrode
system. A saturated calomel electrode (SCE) with a Luggin
capillary was used as the reference electrode; a large platinum
sheet was served as the counter-electrode and 1 cm2 of the
studied alloy was used as the working electrode. The polarization
experiments were performed in the applied potential, ranging
from 1.0 VSCE to 0.2 VSCE with a scan rate of 1 mV/s.
Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests were car-
ried out at the open circuit potential (OCP) in the frequency
ranging from 100 kHz to 100 mHz, using a 10 mV AC signal.
The equivalent circuits simulating the electrochemical response
of the system were constructed by Zview software.
Microhardness tests were examined across the facing
polished cross section with a load of 3 kg f and at a horizontal
spacing of 1 mm by a HVS-10 Vickers microhardness tester.
Tensile tests were performed on a MTS-810 electronic
universal testing machine with 2 mm/min loading speed.
Metallographic specimens were etched with Kellers reagent
to reveal the microstructure by a Leica DMIL LED optical
microscope. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) exam-
ination was conducted on a Tecnai G220 operated at 200 kV.
The foils were mechanically polished to a thickness of about
70 lm and then electropolished in a solution of 30% nitric acid
and 70% methanol at 20 V between 30 and 20 C. The
grain morphology was evaluated by electron back-scatter
diffraction (EBSD) on a Sirion200 field emission scanning
electron microscope (FE SEM).
3. Results
3.1 Microhardness
Two curves of the microhardness variations in the middle of
two kinds of welded joints are shown in Fig. 2. The-MIG
welded joint can be classified into three zones, WZ, HAZ, and
BM (Ref 20). The region, 5 to 20 mm away from the weld
seam center, is noted as HAZ I, and that region, 20 to 40 mm
away from the weld seam center, is noted as HAZ II. For the 1#
Volume 25(3) March 2016—1029
joint, the distribution of hardness was approximately symmetric
in the welded joint. The hardness firstly increased from the WZ/
HAZ boundary and retained a level of about 113 HV in HAZ I,
then experienced a sudden drop of about 10 HV in HAZ II,
suggesting a soften zone in this area, and finally increased to
the level of about 120 HV in original base metal. It was found
that the lowest hardness was obtained in the WZ, corresponding
to approximately 50% of the hardness value in the BM. Thus, it
could be inferred that the WZ was the weakest zone in the joint.
A similar variation tendency of the hardness curve was
presented in the 2# joint. Besides, the hardness to a value of
about 72 HV in the WZ of 1# joint was slightly higher than that
of about 66 HV in 2# joint.
3.2 Mechanical Properties
The mechanical properties of the base metal and its MIG-
welded joints are shown in Table 2. All of joints failed at the
WZ, which was in accord with the characteristic of microhard-
ness distribution. The tensile strength and ductilities of the
joints were inferior to those of base material. The tensile
strength, yield strength, and elongation of the base metal were
393 MPa, 323 MPa, and 15.1%, respectively. The welding
coefficient of 1# joint and 2# joint were 65.4 and 57.3%,
respectively. As to the 1# joint, the tensile strength and yield
strength were 257 and 223 MPa, respectively, which were
higher compared to those of the 2# joint by 14.2 and 18.6%,
respectively. It demonstrates that the mechanical property of the
welded joint with Zr addition is significantly improved.
3.3 Corrosion Behavior
3.3.1 Exfoliation Corrosion. Figure 3 shows the surface
morphologies of two joints observed before and during
immersing in the EXCO solution, respectively. The corrosion
rating is classified as pitting corrosion (P), superficial exfoli-
ation corrosion (EA), moderate exfoliation corrosion (EB),
severe exfoliation corrosion (EC), and very sever exfoliation
Fig. 2 Microhardness distributions of the MIG-welded joints
1030—Volume 25(3) March 2016
corrosion (ED), according to GB/T 22639-2008 (Ref 18). The
corrosion morphologies of two joints were similar. During
immersing, no obvious corrosion attack took place in the WZ
and it could be ranked with PA, indicating only slight pitting
corrosion on the surface. The BM was quoted PC, representing
more severe pitting corrosion. As to the HAZ, the corrosion
firstly proceeded along the gain boundaries and extended below
the surface at the HAZ I. After immersed for 6 h, the corrosion
attack was found to occur at the HAZ II. In time, the corrosion
products accumulated at the paths through which the attack
progressed, increased in size and exerted on the most superficial
grains, lifting them and causing the loss of the surface metal.
After being dried, the HAZ was covered with a lot of etch pits,
most of which in the HAZ I seemed to be much larger and
deeper than those in the HAZ II. Therefore, the HAZ II was
ranked with EB, while the worst result ranked with EC was
obtained at the HAZ I. Above results confirm that the HAZ is
much more susceptible to corrosion attack than that of WZ and
BM.
3.3.2 Intergranular Corrosion. Figure 4 shows SEM
images of different regions on the cross sections of two joints
after immersing in the IGC solution for 6 h. Although two
welded zones were exposed to pitting corrosion, there was a
higher volume fraction of pits and more oxide cumulating at the
WZ of 2# joint than those of 1# joint, indicating that the attack
in 2# joint was relatively serious. In addition, the HAZ II
suffered moderate corrosion, and the HAZ I was subjected to
the most severe corrosion. The corrosion degree of BM was
lower than that of HAZ, and the WZ was the most resistant to
corrosion in the whole welded joint.
The metallographic cross sections with maximum corrosion
depth in different regions of both joints are shown in Fig. 5. In
the case of 2# joint, the HAZ I had the weakest corrosion
resistance, and its value of maximum corrosion depth was
higher respectively by 92.1% compared to the WZ, by 83.3%
compared to the BM, and by 62.3% compared to the HAZ II.
The phenomenon of the 1# joint was analogical, but the value
Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance
Table 2 Mechanical properties of the base metal and welded joints
Sample rb, MPa r0.2, MPa
BM (rolling) 393 323
1# joint (ER5183) 257 223
2# joint (ER5356) 225 188
Fig. 3 EXCO morphologies of welded joints (a) 1# joint; (b) 2# joint
of maximum corrosion depth in the WZ was lower than that of
the 2# joint. These results are in good agreement with their
surface appearances.
3.3.3 Electrochemical Behavior. Figure 6 shows the
polarization curves of different regions immersing in the
EXCO solution. Corrosion parameters resulting from the
polarization curves are shown in Table 3. It is evident that
the welding heat has an obvious impact on the electrochemical
behavior. For the 1# joint, the corrosion potential (Ecorr) of the
WZ was found to be more positive than those of another
regions, whereas its corrosion current density (Icorr) was the
lowest. It was interesting to note that the Ecorr of the HAZ I
decreased to 0.687 VSCE, which was more negative than the
HAZ II. Furthermore, the Ecorr of the WZ in 2# joint was more
negative than that of 1# joint. These are indicated that the HAZ
is the most susceptible to corrosion and the WZ containing Zr
shows lower susceptibility than that without Zr addition.
Figure 7 shows the Nyquist plots of various zones in the
welded joints immersing in the EXCO solution. The Nyquist
diagrams were featured by a high-frequency capacitive arc and
a low-frequency inductance arc. Conde et al. (Ref 21) have
pointed out that when the surface of the electrode is covered by
small pits, the impedance technique is not capable of detecting
them. However, when area covered by pits which are large
enough (this is when the flat surface is smaller than the total
area of the pits), the systemÕs response combines that from the
flat part, at high frequencies, and that from the pitting, at low
frequencies. And the decrease of radius of capacitive arc is
related to the decreasing in the value of the charge-transfer
resistance and the increasing of the double-layer capacitance
with the appearance of pitting on the surface of the electrode.
But Keddam et al. (Ref 22) have indicated that the inductive
loop observed is more likely associated with the weakening of
the protective effectiveness of the aluminum oxide layer due to
the anodic dissolution of Al alloy. In acid pH media, the
solution of the oxide film which covers aluminum takes place
and the bare new metal is attacked. This process increases the
lack of surface homogeneity, which is reflected in the increase
Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance
d, % Welding coefficient, % Fracture location
15.1 … …
3.8 65.4 WZ
4.2 57.3 WZ
in the depression of the capacitive arc. Although there is no
evidence on which opinion is more accurate, they provide an
assessment of corrosion resistance. In other words, the HAZ I
has the worst corrosion resistance due to the minimum radius of
its capacitive arc, and the WZ adding Zr behaves better than the
other joint.
Simulation of the systemÕs response was carried out by an
equivalent circuit. The physical significance of the elements can
be described as follows: Rs is the solution resistance, Rt is the
charge-transfer resistance, Ro is the equivalent resistance, and L
is the equivalent inductance. In order to obtain a better
simulation between the model and the experimental data,
capacitances were mathematically modeled using a constant
phase element (CPE). The impedance is defined by the equation
(Ref 23):
Z0
ZCPE ¼ ðEq 1Þ
ðjxÞn
where n ranges from 0 to 1, and Z0 is a constant. The corre-
sponding values obtained for each one of the circuitÕs param-
eters are presented at Table 4. Since the values of Rs were
very low, indicating a very high electrical conductivity of the
solution, it could be negligible. The higher the Rt and L was,
the higher the susceptibility to corrosion (Ref 24). It was
known that the Rt was in the following order: 1# WZ > 2#
WZ > BM > 1# HAZ II > 1# HAZ I. This further confirms
the HAZ I has the most susceptibility and the WZ introduc-
ing minor Zr has higher corrosion resistance.
3.4 Microstructure
3.4.1 Optical Micrographs. Figure 8 shows the optical
micrographs of the transverse cross section of two kinds of
welded joints. The welded zones were characterized by typical
cast structures with dendritic growth (Fig. 8a and d). As to the
bonding zone of 1# joint, a zone of fine-equiaxed grains (EQZ)
was distinctly observed adjacent to the HAZ, and common
columnar grains grew towards the center of the weld (Fig. 8b).
Volume 25(3) March 2016—1031
Fig. 4 The morphology of intergranular corrosion (a) 1# transition region between WZ and HAZ; (b) 1# WZ; (c) 1# FZ; (d) 1# HAZ II; (e) 2#
transition region between WZ and HAZ; (f) 2# WZ; (g) 2# HAZ II; (h) BM
Further observation proved that there was no dendritic growth
inside the spherical-equiaxed grains, whose diameter varied
from 2 to 10 lm (Fig. 8c). However, the bonding zone of 2#
joint was mainly characterized by course columnar grains
(Fig. 8e). The HAZ in two joints still remained in elongated
grains, but the regions very close to the bonding zone were
obviously partly recrystallized. The BM retained fiber grain
structure in the rolling direction (Fig. 8f).
3.4.2 Grain Micrographs. Electron backscattered diffrac-
tion (EBSD) was used to observe more details of the grain and
texture variations. High-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs), defined
by misorientations greater than 15, were demarcated by black
lines, while low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs), between 3 and
1032—Volume 25(3) March 2016
15 misorientations, were defined by red lines. As seen from
Fig. 9, grains in the WZ of 1# joint tended towards an equiaxed
shape, and 77.4% of them were in diameter of less than 60 lm,
while only 35.5% of those were less than 60 lm in the WZ of 2#
joint. It is believed that the size of grains was moderately reduced
by adding micro-Zr into ER5183 welding wire.
Figure 10 shows EBSD maps performed on the BM and
across the WZ/BM interface as well. The BM consisted of
elongated fibrous grains (Fig. 10a). By magnified observation,
most of elongated fibrous grains were clearly subdivided into
micro-scaled subgrains with apparent LAGBs (Fig. 10d). A
band of EQZ along the boundary and equiaxed grains with
HAGBs were further confirmed to have developed in 1# joint
Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance
Fig. 5 Metallographic cross sections with maximum corrosion depth (a) 1# WZ; (b) 1# HAZ I; (c) 1# HAZ II; (d) 2# WZ; (e) 2# HAZ I; (f)
2# HAZ II; (g) BM

(Fig. 10b), while little equiaxed grains occurred in the bonding alloy, namely S ((123) Æ634æ), brass (B-(011) Æ211æ), and
zone of 2# joint (Fig. 10c). The microtexture of the BM and copper orientation (C-(112) Æ111æ) component. Conversely, no
EQZ of 1# joint was also exhibited. The pole figures of the BM significant texture could be found in the EQZ. A similar
primarily manifested a typical rolling texture in aluminum observation was present in the report (Ref 25).

Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance Volume 25(3) March 2016—1033

Fig. 6 Polarization curves of different regions in MIG-welded joints

Table 3 Corrosion parameters resulting from the polarization curve

Sample 1# WZ 2# WZ BM 1# HAZ I 1# HAZ II

Ecorr, V 0.594 0.632 0.638 0.687 0.670

Icorr, lA/cm2 0.211 0.395 0.351 2.43 1.52

Fig. 7 Nyquist plots of MIG-welded joints immersed in EXCO solution

3.4.3 Precipitates. Figure 11 shows the TEM bright field scaled Al3Zr particles and a high density of fine aging
images in different zones of two joints. The elongated grains in precipitates (g¢) were distributed homogenously within the
the BM were mainly made up of micro-scaled deformed grains. The equilibrium precipitates (g) were distributed
subgrains (Fig. 11a). By magnified observation, lots of nano- discontinuously at the boundary, and the precipitate-free zone

1034—Volume 25(3) March 2016 Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance

Table 4 Electrochemical impedance data of the electrical elements proposed in the equivalent circuit
Component Rsol, X cm2 CPE-T/X-1 cm22 CPE-P Rt, X cm2 Ro, X cm2 L/H

1# WZ 1.304 2.5517E5 0.92218 64.27 9.61 16.1

2# WZ 0.60771 1.1955E5 0.96918 47.47 9.625 8.301
1# HAZ I 0.44873 2.7419E5 0.92907 12.89 30.96 0.481
1# HAZ II 0.44207 3.7502E5 0.88487 17.83 45.73 1.275
BM 0.32344 1.7379E5 0.98651 41.95 6.036 10.63

Fig. 8 Optical micrographs (a) 1# WZ; (b) 1# transition region between WZ and HAZ; (c) EQZ in (b); (d) 2# WZ; (e) 2# transition region be-
tween WZ and HAZ; (f)BM

(PFZ) formed (Fig. 11c). In the WZ of 1# joint, Al3Zr particles 4. Discussion

were also visible (Fig. 11d), while there was no obvious
precipitate in the WZ of 2# joint (Fig. 11g). The microstruc-
tures of the HAZ in two joints were similar. Unlike the BM,
precipitates at the boundary were distributed continuously in
the HAZ I. Compared with the BM, there exited a mixture of
continuous distribution and discontinuous distribution at the
boundaries in the HAZ II, and the intergranular precipitates
coarsened as well.
4.1 Relationship Between Microstructures and Mechanical
Properties
During welding, the gradient of thermal conduction ranging
from the welding seam to the base metal has varied effects on
different regions of the welded joint. As to the BM, 7020 Al
alloy is mainly strengthened by nano-scale g¢ precipitate,

Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance Volume 25(3) March 2016—1035

Fig. 9 EBSD maps (a) orientation map of WZ in 1# joint; (b) Grain size distribution of the WZ in (a); (c) orientation map of WZ in 2# joint;
(d) Grain size distribution of the WZ in (b)
which is semi-coherent with Al matrix and has a hexagonal
crystallographic structure. This intermediate phase primarily
contributes to the age hardening of the alloy due to the finer
dispersion inside grain during the aging process after quenching
from a solution treatment temperature. Many researchers have
investigated the precipitate process of Al-Zn-Mg system in
previous works. The usual precipitation sequence is proposed
as follows (Ref 26-28): a-supersaturated solid solution (a-
sss) fi Guinier-Preston zones(GP
zones) fi metastable g¢ fi equilibrium phase g (MgZn2).
On the other hand, Zr addition into the Al-Zn-Mg alloy can
strongly pin dislocation and grain boundaries to inhibit
recrystallization during heat treatment, resulting in micro-
scaled subgrains structures remained in heat treatable alloy
(Fig. 10d). Moreover, lattice strain caused by the high
coherency mismatch also leads to an increase in mechanical
strength. Therefore, apart from the aging precipitation strength-
ening, the strengthening mechanisms of the base alloy include
solution strengthening and substructure strengthening.
In the WZ, cast structures are formed as a result of the uneven
solute distribution and nonuniform sequence of crystallization
during rapid cooling in the weld pool. This loose structure is
prone to the formation of cavities, resulting in the decrease of
ductility and strength. Then solution strengthening is the main
strengthening mechanism in this zone, which makes the lowest
hardness and the broken location are consequently obtained in the
WZ. Since the trace Zr was added into ER5183 Al alloy, the
1036—Volume 25(3) March 2016
hardness in the WZ of 1# joint increases by fine grain
strengthening and precipitation strengthening. Grains in this
zone are effectively refined (Fig. 9) and an additional EQZ forms
(Fig. 8). It is believed to form heterogeneously on particles such
as Al3Zr and Al3(Zr,Ti), which are in accord with coherent
interface condition. These particles are originally present as
dispersoids in the WZ. They are neither dissolved nor swept into
the weld pool because of their good thermal stability, the
relatively moderate temperature, and fluid flow conditions
prevalent here (Ref 29). Therefore, they are preserved to become
ideal heterogeneous nucleation particles. According to the related
literatures (Ref 14, 30), it is the EQZ that helps decline hot
cracking tendency and improve mechanical property of the joint.
In the present study, the hardness value performed on the EQZ is
achieved to 93 HV, higher than the level of WZ. In summary,
adding Zr into the welding wire offers additional benefit of
improving mechanical properties of the joints.
In the HAZ I close to the bonding zone, the temperature is
high enough to approach the melting temperature, and then
primal precipitations get partly re-dissolved into the Al matrix.
Deposited at room temperature for a period of time, the fine gÕ
phases re-precipitate from the supersaturated solid solution,
i.e., natural aging takes place, leading to an increase of
microhardness. However, the value of hardness in this region is
still lower than that in the BM, indicating that the effect of
natural aging is inferior to that of artificial aging. Far away
from the welding seam in the HAZ II, the thermal cycling
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Fig. 10 EBSD maps performed on BM and across the WZ/BM interface (a) BM; (b) 1# transition region; (c) 2# transition region; (d) magni-
fied observation in (a); (e) magnified observation of EQZ in (b); (f) corresponding pole figures of (d) and (e), respectively

temperature is lower than the solution temperature but higher 4.2 Corrosion Mechanism
than the aging temperature. Thus, strengthening phases dis-
In this study, the results of exfoliation corrosion, intergran-
solve inadequately and vacancy concentration reduces, leading
ular corrosion, and electrochemical behavior indicate that there
to coarsening of intergranular g¢ precipitates and discontinuous
is much difference of corrosion resistances between various
distribution of intragranular g precipitates at the boundary.
regions in the MIG-welded joints. Previous studies have shown
This coarsening is responsible for lower solution and aging
that the IGC is mainly correlated with microstructures provid-
strengthening effect. That is why the softening zone occurred
ing different distributions, sizes, and electrochemical behaviors
(Fig. 2). On the basis of the foregoing observations, it is
of the precipitates at the boundaries (Ref 31, 32). The 7020
reasonable to divide the HAZ into two sub-zones, namely
alloy base is in the T6 condition. During welding and cooling,
quenched zone and overaging zone.

Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance Volume 25(3) March 2016—1037

Fig. 11 TEM images of two joints (a-c) BM; (d) 1# WZ; (e) 1# HAZ I; (f) 1# HAZ II; (g) 2# WZ; (h) 2# HAZ I; (i) 2# HAZ II
the HAZ I is subjected to solution heat-treating and quenching,
namely T4 state; the HAZ II undergoes temporary over-aging
treatment. After a long time of deposition, the dominate
precipitates are g¢, a low volume fraction of G.P. Zone + g¢,
g¢ + g for BM, HAZ I, and HAZ II, respectively.
First, the potential difference between precipitates at the
boundary and their adjacent alloy base or PFZ is a crucial factor
to corrosion sensitivity. Zinc is a responsible element of
corrosion, and the segregation of zinc and magnesium (MgZn2
phase) at the boundary is found to be more anodic with respect
to the Al matrix as well as PFZ, and therefore is susceptible to
preferential dissolution (Ref 32, 33). The excellent corrosion
resistance of the WZ is attributed to the welding wire
containing a lower percentage of Zn. What is more, addition
of Zr in the welding wire benefits to increase the solubility of
solute and decrease the problem of microsegregation. Conse-
quently, the WZ of the joint with ER5183 has slightly better
corrosion resistance than that of the joint with ER5356.
In the HAZ I, the continuous distribution of g precipitates at
the boundaries makes it an active corrosion path which is anodic
1038—Volume 25(3) March 2016
compared with the bulk of the grains, resulting in severe
sensitivity to IGC. The wedging forces generated by the
expansion of corrosion products along the grain boundaries
cause the lift-off of surface grains. That is to say, EXCO is
specially developed from IGC. As to the HAZ II and BM,
discontinuous distribution of GBps (grain boundary precipitates)
cuts off the corrosion path and decreases the corrosion rate,
lightening IGC and EXCO. Similarly, the increased size and
interspaces of GBps will help weaken corrosion to a limited
extent. General over-aged materials perform higher corrosion
resistance than those in the T6 temper (Ref 34, 35). Unfortu-
nately, the over-aged HAZ II has a poorer behavior than the BM.
The most likely cause is the quite short overaging treatment as a
result of insufficient discontinuity of GBps. This phenomenon is
consistent with early observations of Reboul (Ref 36).
Second, grain boundary angle should be taken into
consideration. It has been recognized that recrystallized
grains with HAGBs are more susceptible than fibrous
unrecrystallized grains with LAGBs (Ref 37, 38). The energy
of the LAGBs is much lower than that of the HAGBs and
Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance
closer to that of grain interior; the concentration of g
precipitates at the low-angle grain boundary is lower and
more discontinuously distributed. Consequently, IGC is more
inclined to propagate along the recrystallized grains with
HAGBs. It is well known that Zr addition plays a key role
on inhibiting recrystallization and improving corrosion resis-
tance. High fraction of subgrains with LAGBs in the BM
effectively alleviates IGC and EXCO. Strongly influenced the
heat cycle in welding process, the HAZ very close to
bonding zone is partly recrystallized. And the recrystallized
grains with HAGBs aggravate IGC and EXCO, as shown in
Fig. 4. Moreover, the HAZ has lower potential than the WZ
and BM in both cases, and this means a formation of
corrosion cell (Ref 39); in other words, it is that the HAZ
will be the anode while the WZ and BM will be the cathode.
Then the WZ and BM will not corrode seriously because
they will be catholically protected to some extent, while the
HAZ, especially the region close to the bounding zone, has
the highest corrosion susceptibility.
5. Conclusions
(1) The studied MIG-welded joints can be classified into
three zones: welded zone, heat-affected zone, and base
metal. The base metal has a deformed subgrains struc-
ture, Al3Zr particles, and fine aging precipitates; welded
zones are mainly characterized by cast structure; and the
heat-affected zones still remain in elongated shape,
where the soften zones form as a result of g¢ (MgZn2)
coarsening.
(2) The tensile strength and ductilities of the joints are infe-
rior to those of base material, and the lowest hardness is
obtained in the welded zone.
(3) The welded zones exhibit excellent corrosion resistance
due to the low concentration of zinc. Continuous distri-
bution of g precipitates at the boundary and partial
recrystallization in the HAZ very close to the fusion
zones result in severe sensitivity to IGC and EXCO.
Discontinuous g distribution and unrecrystallized grains
resulted from Zr addition help in alleviating corrosion
attack.
(4) Due to the Zr addition into the ER5183 Al alloy, the
grains in the welded zone are refined, and a zone of
equiaxed grains forms along the bonding boundary.
Accordingly, the mechanical properties and corrosion
resistance in this zone of the joint with ER5183 exhibit
better than those of the joint with ER5356.
Acknowledgments
This study was financially supported by the National General
Pre-research Project of China (51312010402) and the China Post-
doctoral Science Foundation (2014M552149).
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