Corrosion and Environment-Assisted Cracking Behavior of Friction Stir Welded Al 2195 and Al 2219 Alloys

The friction stir welding (FSW) process has been evaluated for application on the Al 2195 cryogenic tank of the Space Transportation System. In the present study, the general corrosion, pitting and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) resistance of 2195 plates joined by FSW was investigated. Plates of Al 2219 joined by FSW were also tested for comparison purposes along with Al 2195 and Al 2219 plates joined by the variable polarity plasma arc welding method. The general corrosion, SCC and pitting behavior of FSW AI 2195 and AI 2219 is presented and discussed.