Effect of repetitious non-isothermal heat treatment on corrosion behavior of Al-Zn-Mg alloy

Type 7N01 alloy has been widely applied in rail vehicles, but corrosion behavior and mechanical properties of this alloy after heat treatment or heat straightening becomes a limitation for its application. This paper reveals the effect of different numbers of heat treatments on corrosion behavior and mechanical properties of 7N01 alloy. With increasing the number of heat treatments, the corrosion susceptibility of 7N01 alloy increased. The evolution of corrosion behavior and mechanical properties of heat-treated samples was caused by modification of matrix precipitates and diffusion of Zn atom from matrix to grain boundaries.