The aluminum alloy EN AW-2618A (2618A) is a precipitation hardened high strength alloy that is used at elevated temperatures in the transportation and aerospace industries. The main alloying elements are Cu and Mg which form a coarse intermetallic primary phase (Al₉FeNi) of several µm in size. This phase is responsible for the long-term high temperature creep resistance. The basic strength is due to the precipitation of the so-called S-phase (Al₂CuMg) of nm-size, which is known to coarsen during service at elevated temperatures.
Previous projects have characterized the alloy in terms of strength, low cycle fatigue (LCF) and creep behavior, especially at high temperatures (up to 190 °C). Both the T61 and overaged states were used. In addition, the microstructural changes associated with overaging were extensively studied and quantified microscopically.
However, data on high cycle fatigue (HCF) is still very limited. Therefore, this study investigates the influence of overaging on HCF of 2618A. For this purpose, axial HCF tests were performed at room temperature on two overaged states which are aged for 10 h and 1000 h at 230 °C. Electron microscopy was used to characterize the coarsening of the S-phase from the two overaged states. Fractographic studies were also performed to investigate the influence of the primary phase on the fatigue life.