Effect of corrosion on the fatigue life and fracture mechanisms of 6101 aluminum alloy wires for car manufacturing applications

•We examine the fatigue–corrosion behavior of an Al–Mg–Si 6101 alloy.•The fatigue endurance of this alloy was studied using the stress-life approach.•Three metallurgical states representative of three cold-drawing steps were considered.•Fatigue–corrosion interactions modify the failure mode.•Hydrogen embrittlement mechanism could occur during fatigue–corrosion tests.

An innovative solution for the automotive industry is to replace the copper used for wiring harnesses with aluminum alloys, such as the aluminum–magnesium–silicon 6101 alloy. Wiring harnesses are composed of thin strand arms obtained by a wire drawing process. These strands are susceptible to exposure to a corrosive environment and fatigue solicitations simultaneously. The fatigue endurance of this alloy was studied using the stress-life approach for three metallurgical states representative of three cold-drawing steps. Fatigue tests performed in corrosive media tests highlighted a strong decrease of the 6101 alloy lifetime due to fatigue–corrosion interactions and a modification of failure modes.