Susceptibility of Ti–6Al–4V alloy to stress corrosion cracking in a Lewis-neutral aluminium chloride–1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ionic liquid

• The susceptibility of Ti–6Al–4V alloy to SCC in ionic liquid is first reported.
• In neutral AlCl3–EMIC IL, the SCC cracks initiate at α/β phase boundaries of Ti–6Al–4V alloy.
• IGSCC was observed at the early stage of cracking and followed by TGSCC with increasing crack length.

The susceptibility of Ti–6Al–4 V alloy to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in a Lewis neutral AlCl3–EMIC ionic liquid (IL) was investigated employing U-bend tests. The results indicated that cracking initiated at the α/β phase boundary, propagated intergranularly, followed by transgranular cracking and failed in dimple mode under overloaded stress.