Fracture Toughness And Microstructure In AA 2XXX Aluminum Alloys

The paper presents the toughness properties of forgings made of two AA 2xxx series aluminium alloys with different microstructural conditions. Fracture toughness tests in crack opening mode I were performed on compact tension specimens machined from the forgings in different orientations. The tests were performed both at room temperature and at 130?C. Fracture toughness properties were related to microstructural and fractographic features of the alloys in order to discuss on their failure mechanisms. The effect of the coarse intermetallic phases within grains or at their boundaries in the different conditions was underlined. The testing temperature, within the range here investigated, neither affected fracture toughness properties nor failure mechanisms