Effect of anodic oxidation on fatigue performance of 7075-T6 alloy

Effect of anodic oxidation on fatigue performance of 7075-T6 alloy for pre-corroded and non-corroded specimens has been investigated by conducting a series of rotary bending fatigue tests at 95 Hz. The anodized specimens with different coating thickness (6, 12 and 23 μm) were exposed to 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution for 6, 48, 96 and 240 h. The results indicate that oxidation has a tendency to decrease the fatigue performance. Fatigue strength was reduced with increasing coating thickness; approximately 40% reduction for a 23 μm thick coating was obtained. It was observed that oxidation mitigated pitting corrosion. Superior corrosion resistance was obtained for the thickest coating layer. Fatigue tests with pre-corroded specimens showed that fatigue life of coated specimens was significantly affected by pre-corrosion, except for the specimen with the thickest coating layer. When the pre-corroded bare and coated specimens were compared, the coating improved the fatigue performance in high cycle fatigue (> 105) only and it degraded the fatigue performance in low cycle regime.