Exfoliation Corrosion of 7075 Aluminum Die Forgings

A study was performed to determine the factors which influence the strength and exfoliation corrosion resistance of 7075 aluminum die forgings. Three lots of forgings, each representing different thermal-mechanical histories, were evaluated. The results show that (1) the forgings can be thermally treated to provide an exfoliation resistant material with a yield strength of 65 psi, (2) in the T6 temper, forgings produced from rolled bar stock are more resistant to exfoliation corrosion than forgings from extruded bar stock, and (3) rapid quenching from solution temperature in cold water increases exfoliation resistance of forgings tempered to T6.